Dangerous Addiction
by whispermy-serenade
Summary: Hibari Kyoya x OC story. Rated M for fighting & language. Ayame Akanke and her twin brother Ryo are far from human. The skylark takes in interest in the strength that the female displays, but will those sparks develop into something more?
1. Chapter 1

**Dangerous Addiction**

"Tsuna... Tsuna!" A baby voice called for the male as he stopped in his tracks. Tsuna turned and saw his 'tutor', Reborn.

"Good morning, Reborn..." Tsuna greeted, bag strap in his hand.

"Good morning," Reborn replied back, tilting his fedora hat. "Tsuna, I need you to gather up the all the guardians to the school's rooftop once school is finished tomorrow."

"Eh?" Tsuna looked down at the baby-sized tutor. "Why?"

"Don't ask questions, just do it." Reborn told him, kicking him over the head. "Ciao!"

Tsuna sweatdropped, _sheesh that Reborn... forceful as ever..._

* * *

"Tenth!" A very familiar voice called out. Tsuna turned to see Gokudera and Yamamoto running towards him.

"Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto!" Tsuna greeted both his friends.

"Good morning!" Gokudera greeted him, happy to see his precious Tenth in school so early in the morning.

"Good morning, Tsuna," Yamamoto greeted with more calm than the silver-haired male.

"Good morning," Tsuna told them. "Oh yeah, before I forget, could you guys do me a favour and help me gather up all the guardians to the rooftop of the school tomorrow? Reborn asked me to do that... But you guys know I'm terrified of Hibari..."

"It's alright, Tenth!" Gokudera thumped a fist to his chest. "We'll ask him together."

"And then there's the matter of Chrome," Yamamoto joked.

"Oh, yeah..." Tsuna put his hand to his chin in a thinking motion. "Those Kokuyo guys will never let us to her."

"I'm sure they'll listen to reason," Yamamoto claimed, intertwining his fingers behind the back of his head. His optimistic personality was what Tsuna liked about him.

"Yeah..." Tsuna agreed.

_Let's just hope that Hibari and Ken and Chikusa will agree..._

* * *

Sunlight filtered through the window into Hibari's face. Slowly, he blinked his misty blue eyes open. He brought himself up into a sleeping position, slowly coming awake.

A knock sounded on the door, making Hibari turn and slip his right tonfa out.

The door slid open and Hibari was off the sofa in less than a second, ready to bite whoever entered to death.

"U-Um... Hibari-san?" Tsuna slowly stepped into the room, full of caution.

Hibari did not lower his tonfas, "What do you want, you bunch of weak herbivores?"

"Hey," Gokudera protested angrily from behind Tsuna, "We're not weak herbivores!"

"You're crowding me," Hibari stated in a growl. "Tell me what you want then leave before I bite you to death."

"Um, okay..." Tsuna stammered, more than just a little flustered.

"We'll just get to the point," Yamamoto stepped in. Tsuna threw him a grateful look.

"The little kid asked Tsuna to gather all of us at the school's rooftop tomorrow after school. That's all we wanted to tell you. So you have to come, alright?" Yamamoto said with a grin.

"We'll leave now, bye Hibari." Yamamoto ushered Tsuna and Gokudera out.

Hibari still did not lower his tonfas until the door slid shut.

"Humph... I wonder what it's about this time..."

* * *

"Well, now we just have to convince the Kokuyo guys..." Gokudera grumbled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

* * *

"What?" Ken snarled at the three. "No way! We won't let Chrome-!"

The mild, shy girl stopped him then, "Ken."

Her voice was quiet, and her lashes lowered over her wide doe-like purple eyes.

Ken let out a growl, but backed down.

"What time do I have to be there?" Chrome turned to Tsuna.

"Ah, at 1:30... Our school ends at that time..." Tsuna rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks for agreeing to come..."

"It's no problem," Chrome told him with a small smile.

"Yeah, okay," Tsuna grinned back. "We'll see you tomorrow then. Bye."

"Bye," Chrome told him as the three of them backtracked and walked out.

* * *

"I wonder what Reborn called us to gather at the school rooftop tomorrow for..." Tsuna pondered over the reasons.

"Well," Yamamoto grinned, "He probably has his reasons."

"Yeah," Tsuna agreed.

"Of course!" Gokudera agreed as well, although more heartily than his friends. "Reborn-san would never do anything without a reason!"

Tsuna sweatdropped as he remembered the way Reborn wakes him up in the morning, _you sure about that?_

"Well, we'll see tomorrow." Tsuna sighed.

"Yep, so no need to worry over it!" Yamamoto gave Tsuna a slap to his back, making the latter almost stumble and fall.

"Don't do that!" Gokudera all but yelled at the blackhead.

"Sorry, sorry." Yamamoto put up his hands in surrender.

"Gokudera-kun, I'm fine, it's okay!" Tsuna hurriedly stopped the sliver-haired male before he threw his dynamites.

The sound of Yamamoto's laughter filled the air as the three of them separated into the paths to their homes.

* * *

In the quiet classroom, only the sounds of scribbling pens could be heard. The Japanese word for test was written in kanji on the chalkboard. The teacher sat at his desk, still as a statue, eyes like a hawk, ready to catch any cheating students.

The students quivered – how many more minutes of this hell would they have to put up with?

Just then, the bell rung – everybody could have collapsed with relief.

The teacher took the last paper from the last student, and the classroom burst with noise.

"Man, that test was hard!"

"Yeah!"

"I think I answered one of the questions wrong... What answer did you get for...?"

"I think I failed the test again..." Tsuna sweatdropped, sighing and placing his head on the table.

"I think I'll pass it," Yamamoto grinned.

"It's alright, Tenth!" Gokudera tried to cheer Tsuna up.

"Anyway," Yamamoto cut in, "Don't we have to gather on the rooftop?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Let's go!" The three of them stood up and left the classroom, hurrying to the rooftop.

* * *

"Yo, Sawada!" Ryohei, the Sun Guardian, greeted the three of them. "You're late!"

"Sorry," Tsuna apologized to all the people present on the roof. "We had a test."

"Humph," Hibari grunted, closing his eyes.

"Okay," Reborn said, cutting off any further interaction between the family members. "Today, we will have two more people joining our Vongola family."

"Eh?" Gokudera's protest was loud. "But, Reborn-san, we have all the guardians we need already!"

"Stand down, Hayato." Bianci's calm voice stopped the raging silver-haired pyro.

"Sure," Reborn hopped up onto Tsuna's shoulder. "We have all the members we need."

"But the thing is," Reborn continued from his spot. "These two are very, very powerful. We, as the Vongola, can't let their powers fall into others' hands."

"So, we're kind of like babysitting them?" Yamamoto asked.

"No." Reborn replied seriously. "We are to protect them."

Bianci nodded her agreement, "They may be powerful... But they are but mere kids."

"You mean like Lambo-kun?" Tsuna asked.

"No," Reborn said. "They're about your age."

"Then why the hell do they need our protection?" Gokudera snapped.

"My, my," A cool feminine voice came out of nowhere. "A little hot-headed, are we?"

A black hole swirled open out of nowhere, and two figures somersaulted out, landing perfectly on their feet. It was a boy and a girl.

The girl had her eyes closed in a smiley-face kind of style. Soot black hair flowed down her back to her waist. Her bangs hung into her face, stopping just above her closed eyes.

The boy beside her had his eyes open, and they were a beautiful crimson red. His hair was as black as the girl's, and it was messy. His red orbs seemed to scream the word danger. A frown laced his soft-looking lips.

"Reborn-kun!" The girl greeted the infant, throwing her arms open for a hug. "It's been so long since we last saw you!"

Reborn jumped off Tsuna's shoulder and let the girl embrace him.

"Yeah," He agreed. "It's been long."

"How ya doin', lil' guy?" The guy reached over and patted Leon.

"Okay I'm done," The girl announced as she put Reborn up on her shoulder. He took a seat. "So? Are you going to introduce us or what?"

"Yes I am." Reborn stated. "Everyone, this is Ayame and Ryo Akanke. They will be under Vongola's protection from now on."

"Why can't you protect yourself...?" Gokudera muttered angrily. "You're old enough."

"Oh?" Ayame turned to regard the silver-haired boy. "You have a problem with that, old man?"

"Who're you calling old?" Gokudera snapped, whipping out his dynamites.

"Gokudera-kun, no!" Tsuna ran forward to stop them, only to be restrained by an arm across his chest.

"Let her." Ryo's voice was cool and quiet. "She hasn't fought in a bit; she needs to release that tension."

"But, Gokudera-kun- he!" Tsuna voiced a protest.

"Tsuna, relax." Reborn hopped up onto his shoulder again. "Ayame won't kill him, and Gokudera won't be able to inflict even the slightest damage on her."

"This will be fun," Ayame chuckled darkly, eyes still closed as she pulled a kantana out of its shaft from behind her back.

Gokudera threw his bombs, lighting his ring and summoning Uri out.

With ease, Ayame sliced all the bombs into smithereens.

"Let's go, Uri!" Gokudera shouted, taking out his weapon. "Flame Arrow!"

The dynamite burst out with astonishing speed, speeding towards Ayame. Uri followed it, claws outstretched.

"Too weak." Ayame stated simply as she jumped away from the bomb and cat. "Hm, what's this?"

The dynamite followed her.

"Homing, eh?" Ayame's mouth twitched up into a wider smile, showing off her white teeth. "Interesting."

"She hasn't played around like that for months," Ryo told all of them. "She'll probably enjoy this."

"If she harms the school in any way," Hibari growled, unfolding one of his tonfas. "I'll bite you both to death."

Ryo chuckled, "My, my."

With a slice, the dynamite split into two. Uri landed successfully on Ayame's arm.

"What's this?" Ayame picked Uri up by the neck. "Aww, it's a little kitty!"

"To sacrifice your kitten like that..." Her tone turned dark. "Are you trying to kill the little mite?"

Gokudera's eyes widened as Ayame lifted her sword and brought the tip of it to the cat's nose. Uri stopped trying to claw her, terrified for once.

"I have no objection in stopping anything in my way," She stated dangerously. "So be careful of what you use when you're in battle with _me_."

She tossed the cat aside. "Now, let's continue."

Uri landed on the floor, still like a ragdoll.

"What did you do to Uri?" Gokudera yelled at her.

"What?" Ayame looked surprised. "Oh, that." She nodded towards the lifeless cat on the floor.

"Like I said, I have no qualms about stopping anything _in my way_."

"You-!" Gokudera's temper flared and he started shooting his bombs one after another wildly.

Blinded by his fury, Gokudera shot at a figure which seemed like Ayame.

"Shouldn't you watch where you're aiming?" Ayame's cool voice came from behind him.

Gokudera blinked, and his vision cleared. His eyes widened as he saw who he had shot. He dropped to his knees immediately.

"... Tenth..." His voice was broken with horror. "What have I done...?"

Ayame chuckled darkly, "This is why you never let emotions take over when in battle, Guardian of Storm."

She walked up to the lifeless Tsuna, "Have you learnt your lesson now?"

"I shouldn't have... let my temper get the best of me..." Gokudera's eyes started to water.

"Boss..." Chrome's eyes were wide.

"Tsuna... no way..." Yamamoto dropped to his knees in grief.

"Sawada!" Ryohei yelled out.

"Well," Ayame chuckled darkly again. "I hope you've learned your lesson, guardian of storm."

"You may get up now, Tsunayoshi-kun." Ayame told the male.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Tsuna slowly got up. "What happened?"

"But... how...?" Gokudera looked at his now-alive Tenth.

"A simple illusion," Ayame explained as she crossed over Tsuna to Gokudera. Using the blunt edge of her kantana, she tilted Gokudera's head up to face her.

"Never let your emotions take over in battle." She told him.

_An illusion? _Chrome thought, _but how come I couldn't see it was an illusion?_

"Good job, Ayame." Reborn praised the girl as he jumped up onto her shoulder. "I guess I should tell you guys the truth now. Ayame and Ryo are not here to be protected. They are here to train you."

"Train us...?" Yamamoto was surprised. "But, haven't we gone through enough training?"

"Wrong, Guardian of Rain." Ayame chided. "Training is never over."

"At least, her training is never over." Ryo told them.

"Ah, shut up, Ryo-kun!" Ayame yelled at her brother, pouting.

"What about Uri? He isn't waking up!" Gokudera panicked.

"Ah, that." Ayame said nonchalantly. "I stole his soul for a moment. Fights should never be interrupted, y'know?"

She pulled out a yellow ball that glowed.

"That's Uri's soul...?" Gokudera watched on anxiously as Ayame lowered the glowing ball of light into Uri's body.

A second later, the cat shook himself, flipped over and blinked up at everyone.

"Meow," He meowed as if nothing had happened.

"Uri!" Gokudera's face was flooded with relief. "Thank goodness!"

He scooped the kitten up and cuddled it to his face.

"Humph," Ayame observed closely. "A guy who loves his box weapon that much..."

"So, what do you think, Ayame?" Reborn asked.

"They're very closely-knit, like Primo's family." Ayame told the infant. "They're all like Primo's family, no?"

"Yes they are," Reborn told her.

Ayame smiled, "They're very powerful as well."

"They will be worth teaching." Ryo told her. She nodded in agreement.

"I do not need to be taught anything more," An irritated Hibari growled, unfolding both tonfas this time.

He lunged at Ryo, who sidestepped out of the way.

Ayame chuckled, "Just like Alaude, eh?"

"You two know Alaude?" Tsuna asked, surprised.

"Of course we do," Ayame snickered. "We've been with the Vongola family for ages."

"But... you're our age..." Yamamoto was lost for words.

"It's a curse," Ayame explained. "I dated Primo once, y'know that?"

"You... dated Primo?" Everybody was shocked, with the exceptions of Bianci and Reborn.

"Yep," Ayame said happily. "Anybody know a good sushi stall? I feel like havin' some. Been some time since we last came to Japan."

"Oh, my dad makes the best sushi! Come on, let's go!" Yamamoto led the way.

"Ah... I have to go back... I promised Ken and Chikusa I'd only stay for the member introducing." Chrome said mildly.

"Ah, thanks for coming Chrome-chan." Tsuna told her, offering a smile.

"No problem, boss. Bye now." She turned and left.

"So that's the mist guardian eh?" Ayame had seen the ring on Chrome's finger. "She's quite... weak in personality, isn't she?"

"She has a weak body," Reborn explained. "She's living on illusionary lungs."

"Hah?" Ayame gasped. "Must've been some accident."

"You shouldn't read through her memories, Ayame." Reborn told the black-haired damsel.

"Sorry, sorry," Ayame teased with a grin, flashing her white teeth.

"Come on, this way!" Yamamoto waved, already at the door.

"Ohh, sushi!" Ryohei followed, "I better call Kyoko and tell her I won't be coming home for dinner."

"Well, Yamamoto does make the best sushi..." Gokudera followed grudgingly.

"Humph. Bunch of herbivores." Hibari growled.

"Hibari, you're coming too right?" Yamamoto grinned.

"No." Hibari rejected the offer straightaway.

"Aw, c'mon, Hibari! It's my dad we're talking about, give me some face!" Yamamoto joked.

Hibari let out a growl, "Fine."

He stalked past the crowd.

"Don't crowd me," He snapped irritably before leaving.

"Wow... I didn't think he'd actually say yes." Yamamoto was surprised.

"Well, let's get going before my sister starts getting even hungrier." Ryo ushered all of them out the door.

"You wouldn't want my sister to massacre all of you, do you?" Ryo said with an angelic face.

"W-What? Massacre?" Tsuna looked at Ryo, horrified.

"My sister gets cranky when she gets hungry." Ryo explained, smiling at all of them. "The hungrier she gets, the crankier she is. Once she reaches her limits, she'll kill every single thing within 50 feet of her!"

Tsuna was horrified. Did such a person really exist? All eyes turned to Ayame, who was skipping merrily ahead with her eyes still closed.

"Well," Yamamoto hurried his steps so he walked beside her. "Let me lead you there first, Ayame-chan, since you're hungry."

"Hmm," Ayame turned to him. "Okay!"

Yamamoto quickly led her towards the gates of the school.

_We're saved..._ Everybody thought.

* * *

When all of them reached the sushi shop, the counter in front of Ayame was already filled up with empty plates, stacked one on top of the other.

"One... two... three..." Yamamoto's dad was counting the stack.

"Oh hey you guys!" Ayame greeted them through a mouthful of crabstick sushi, "What took you so long?"

Hibari was seated in the corner, quietly eating soba.

"Thirty-four... thirty-five... thirty-six..." Yamamoto continued counting for his dad.

"Man, kid, you sure can eat!" His dad commented to Ayame.

"I want a bowl of udon next please!" She smiled up at him like an angel. "More naruto too!"

"Hey, Yamamoto, pass me that fatty tuna." Ayame ordered the male, who handed her the plate.

She picked up the sushi with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth, chewing.

"... Just how much can she eat...?" Tsuna asked Ryo.

"A lot," Ryo shrugged, sat down and started ordering as well.

"How the hell is she so skinny?" Gokudera sweatdropped.

"Like I said, don't ask me?" Ryo shrugged.

"I have another question now," Tsuna raised his hand. "Is she even human?"

"Who knows?" Ryo said with an angelic smile.

"Mmm, it's so yummy!" Ayame smiled as she slurped up her udon noodles. "I want two more salmon sushi next!"

"Comin' right up," Yamamoto's dad had given up trying to count all the dishes she ate.

"Can I have another plate of fatty tuna here?" Ryo called out from beside Ayame.

"Man... You two sure eat alot!" Yamamoto grinned at them.

"Well," Ryo grunted as he picked the fatty tuna sushi up with his chopsticks. "We are twins."

"Eh?" Everybody looked from Ryo to Ayame and back again. "You're twins?"

"What, you guys didn't notice?" Ryo asked as he stuffed the tuna into his mouth.

"Then, does that mean her eyes... are red as well?" Tsuna popped the question before he knew it.

Everybody turned to regard the black-haired maiden, who was still chewing and oblivious to what was happening.

"Nope," Ryo replied, terrorizing another fatty tuna sushi.

"Eh? But aren't you two twins?" Gokudera questioned.

"We're not born from the same cell, y'know," Ryo grunted. "We were born from same egg, but it split into two cells."

"Oh, yeah... there was such a thing." Gokudera mumbled.

"Then... what colour are her eyes...?"

Everybody turned to the closed-eyed beauty, which was, still munching away and not caring.

"Well, you can guess," Ryo chuckled. "I love a good guessing game."

"Blue?" Tsuna questioned.

"Nope," Ryo grinned. "I'll give you guys a hint though. It's the opposite of black."

"Opposite of black... white...?" Gokudera had it figured out in under a second.

"Yep," Ryo told them.

"Her eyes are white?" Yamamoto was surprised. "Why does she close them then?"

"Most people believe that she's wearing contacts, and contacts aren't allowed in school. So she closes her eyes." Ryo explained as he picked up another crabstick sushi and plopped it into his mouth.

"Oh yeah... Schools don't allow contacts... White is such an unnatural colour that people won't believe it's natural." Tsuna said, finding it reasonable.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ayame asked, turning towards them. "Can I have another egg sushi?"

"Sure thing," Yamamoto's dad chopped up the egg.

"So, Yamamoto... how many plates are there?" His dad asked as he gave Ayame her egg sushi.

"And another unagi, crabstick and fatty tuna!" Ayame ordered happily.

Everybody in the stall sweatdropped – Just how much could she eat?

Yamamoto counted the extra dishes Ayame had just ordered.

"... Seventy." Yamamoto concluded the calculation.

"WHOA!" Everybody's eyes were wide.

Ayame was patting her mouth with a napkin politely.

"It was really delicious, Mr. Yamamoto's dad!" She smiled up at him like a little angel.

"A-Ah... No problem..." Yamamoto's dad flushed at the cute girl. "It'll be on the house!"

"Dad?" Yamamoto was shocked. She ate so much and yet his father was letting her have it free?

"Aww, c'mon now, Yamamoto. She's just come back to Japan." His dad grinned happily. "This is the first time I've had a customer eat so much."

"It means my sushi is top-rate, top-rate!" His dad laughed happily, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

All of them left the sushi restaurant, and almost immediately Hibari left the scene.

"Ah, Hibari-san!" Tsuna called for the male, who stopped but did not turn. "Thanks for coming just now..."

"Whatever," Hibari grunted before walking away.

"Geesh, how unfriendly," Yamamoto's dad commented as he went back into the shop.

"Well, night guys, I should go and help my dad wash up." Yamamoto waved goodbye to them.

"Bye Yamamoto thanks for the meal," Tsuna told him.

"Tell your dad thanks for me," Ayame told him as she flashed her teeth.

"Sure thing," Yamamoto laughed, "I'm glad you liked it."

"She enjoyed it," Ryo chuckled, taking his sister's hand in his.

* * *

Gokudera, Reborn, Tsuna, Bianci and the twins continued walking till they hit the junction that split into four roads.

"See you, Tenth." Gokudera waved as he disappeared down the path towards his home.

"Bye, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna waved back.

"Um... So... Why are you two following us?" Tsuna asked the twins.

"Eh? Reborn-kun didn't tell you? We're supposed to stay with you guys." Ryo told him.

"What?" Tsuna all but yelled in their faces. "My house is already occupied by Reborn, Lambo, I-pin and Bianci!"

"But we don't have anywhere else to go, Tsuna," Ayame looked at him with a worried look, although her eyes were still closed.

"..." Tsuna's face was one of horror. "I guess I have no choice then..."

He sighed as he opened the gates to his house. All of them walked through the door.

"I'm home..." Tsuna called out to his mother, who was in the kitchen.

"Oh, Tsu-kun!" His mother popped her head out of the door. "You're back! How was the trip?"

"It was okay," Tsuna told her as the group walked into the kitchen.

"Hello, I'm Ayame! This is my bigger-than-me-by-five-minutes brother, Ryo! We'll be staying with you from now on, please take care of us!" Ayame told Tsuna's mother, bowing as she did so.

"My, my." Tsuna's mother put a hand to her cheek. "Reborn-kun, are they your friends?"

Ryo strode forward, grasped her hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry that we have to intrude in your home like this, madam, but you see, we've just arrived in Japan. There's nowhere else for us to stay."

"Oh my," She sighed. "Well, I hope you guys don't mind mattresses."

"We don't," Ayame chirped cheerfully. "We don't mind sofas as well."

"Oh well, I only have one mattress..." Tsuna's mother realized, and sighed. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright," Ryo assured her gently. "We can share. We're siblings, after all."

"Oh, alright then, I'll shift the mattress up to Tsuna's room later." She told them happily.

"I'm beat," Ayame yawned as she stretched. "Tsuna-chan, can we go to your room?"

"Sure thing," Tsuna led the way up the stairs into his room.

"I'll get the mattress; may you tell me the location?" Ryo asked his mother.

"Right this way," She told him. "Such polite kids."

Ryo went with her to get the mattress.

"Wai, Tsuna, your room's quite small." Ayame spun a full circle around the room. "If we're gonna fit the mattress in here, we're gonna have to move your table."

"Yeah, sure." Tsuna went over and helped in pushing the table.

"Or we could squeeze the mattress there," Ayame pointed to the small corner.

"Eh? Alright then," Tsuna grunted.

Just then, the door swung open and a mattress was pushed in. Ryo appeared from behind it and looked at the mattress wedged between Tsuna's bed and the drawer.

"Well..." Ayame sweatdropped, "Do you have any cushions?"

"I'll sleep on the sofa instead," Ryo told Tsuna's mother.

They shifted the mattress back to the storeroom.

Ayame fluffed up the cushions, placing them between the drawer and Tsuna's bed. After she was done, she stretched, lay down on them, and curled up into a tight ball. She kind of resembled a huge cat sleeping on the cushions.

Tsuna sweatdropped, _that works too..._

_What a crazy day... _He pulled his blanket over his body and looked up at the ceiling. _Meeting and welcoming two new members to our family... wait, that reminds me... they don't seem to have the Vongola rings...? And Reborn said they would be joining our family... does that mean that they belonged to another family at first? I wonder which family... they... belonged... to..._

The darkness consumed him, and Tsuna fell asleep.

* * *

Dayumz :D ! Tadah, this is my Hibari x OC story :D I have no idea how many chapters i'm gonna do though :\ ... Anyway, here are 5 random facts for Ayame and Ryo, to let you guys understand their personalities better.

#1 : Ayame is sadistic, sacarstic & may seem evil sometimes. Ryo is patient, caring & kind . Total opposite :D !

#2 : Ayame loves sushi. Ryo prefers fast food.

#3 : Ayame absolutely LOVES to fight, especially with her fists. Any reason for a fight, bring it, she'll pummel that person to dust. Ryo is more of a strategy-and-wits-fight kind of person.

#4 : Ayame doesn't actually use a kantana when she gets serious. When she's serious, she'll bring out her daggers (there's only two of them). Ryo fight with a pole, y'know, those kind of poles used for high-jumping? Yeah. He uses those.

#5 : If Hibari or Lal Mich is the defination of Hell, i'm pretty sure Ayame is the devil herself. Ryo is more like an angel (:D) unless you get him mad. When you get him mad, it's WW3 O: .

Anyway, review me and tell me what you think about it so far xD ? There will be a lot more fights in this series _ (:P) K, bye now :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"... Tsuna... Tsuna!" A voice and hand shook the male. Slowly, he pulled his heavy-lidded eyes open. A blur of a face came into his sight, and with a few more blinks, it sharpened into a figure.

"Oh... Ayame..." Tsuna greeted the female. "Morning."

"Mornin' sleepyhead," She chirped cheerfully at him. "It's time to get up; you don't want to be late for school, do you?"

"What time is it now?" He questioned the female.

"Hm, it's... 6 o'clock." She smiled up at him, settling back onto her cushion-bed.

"What...? It's that early?" He questioned as he rubbed his eyes.

"Well, Reborn-kun told me you had this habit of waking up late and missing breakfast. Breakfast's the most important meal of the day, y'know? You can't keep missing it like that, you won't grow." She chided him. "As a mafia boss, you have to keep your body in tip-top shape. Who knows when a challenge for your position might come again?"

"..." Tsuna sweatdropped.

"Anyway, it's good to get up bright and early, y'know?" Ayame told him cheerfully. "Come on, go and brush your teeth, let's head down for breakfast later."

"Alright..." Tsuna got off his bed, giving in. After all, Reborn did say she was training them.

"Eh...?" Tsuna took in the sight of Ryo sleeping on the couch. "He's still asleep?"

"Jet lag makes a person tired, Tsunayoshi." Ayame explained as she walked past him into the kitchen.

He shot her a look, "Then why aren't you tired?"

"I don't suffer from jet lag," She told him as she shot him an 'are-you-stupid' look. "I mostly sleep throughout the whole plane ride, so I get enough rest from it."

"..." Tsuna was rendered speechless again.

"Well, you're up early, Tsu-kun, that's a rare sight." His mother walked into the kitchen. "I rarely see you coming down so early."

"I took the obligation of waking him up early so he doesn't miss breakfast," Ayame smiled up at her.

"My, how nice of you. It's like having two extra helpers in this chaotic household." Tsuna's mother praised Ayame.

"Ehe," Ayame smiled and blushed slightly.

"What would you all like for breakfast?" She asked the group at the table.

"Omelette!" Lambo shouted, raising his fork and spoon.

"I-pin wants omelette too, mama." I-pin told her.

"Omelettes sound good," Reborn said as Bianci picked him up and put him on his cushion-stacked chair.

"I like omelettes," Ayame grinned.

"Did someone say omelettes?" Ryo was awake instantly. "I love omelettes!"

"Omelettes it is then," Tsuna's mother smiled at all of them.

"Yay!" Everybody cheered.

Tsuna sweatdropped, was he the only normal person in this room?

Soon the omelettes were served and everybody dug in.

"This is so tasty!" Ayame claimed after she took her first bite.

"I love it!" Ryo gobbled up his omelette within seconds. "Can I have more?"

"Of course," Tsuna's mother happily obliged.

After five omelettes later, Ryo claimed he was full. Ayame had six.

"My, you two sure eat alot." Tsuna's mother smiled as she cleared the plates.

"Ehe," Ayame and Ryo both smiled.

"Tsuna, time for school, let's go!" Ayame grabbed the boy and Ryo tossed him his bag.

"What? Are you two coming to school with me?" Tsuna asked as he pulled the straps over his shoulders.

"Of course," Ryo smiled. "We'll be entering your class."

"What?" Tsuna was taken aback again.

"Well, you needn't mind us," Ayame told him gently. "We already finished university a few years back."

"..." How many times did these two have to shock him?

"I'm going!" Tsuna yelled out as he opened the door.

"Bye, take care!"

Tsuna walked out the door, flanked by Ayame and Ryo. Reborn sat on Ayame's shoulder.

"Mou, I don't feel like attending school though..." Ayame intertwined her fingers behind the back of her head.

"Well, there's nothing else we can do to pass time, sis." Ryo told her, putting his hands into his pockets.

"We could go to the arcade," Ayame suggested. "Or shopping, I need clothes."

"We're going to school." Ryo confirmed with his sister politely, but with authority in his tone.

"Sheesh, fine, fine," Ayame gave in and they continued walking.

"Tenth!" Gokudera's voice greeted them.

"Tsuna, yo!" Yamamoto came from the direction of the sushi stall.

"Sawada!" Ryohei's loud voice boomed as he jogged towards them, Kyoko behind him, wearing a resigned smile.

"Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, _onii-chan._" Tsuna greeted all of them, and then blushed at Kyoko. "Good morning, Kyoko-chan."

"Good morning, Tsuna-kun." She greeted him with a smile. "Who are these two with you?"

"Ah," Tsuna got all flustered. He waved his hand to Ayame and Ryo, "This two are new students in our class... Ayame and Ryo Akanke."

"Nice to meet you," Ayame smiled at Kyoko, who smiled back.

"It is our very pleasure to be in the presence of such pure beauty." Ryo told Kyoko as he kissed the back of her hand.

"Oh!" Kyoko let out a gasp, blushing at the very action.

"Pardon me," Ryo told her, smiling gently. "This is the proper way for men to greet ladies they deem beautiful in our country."

"O-Oh." Kyoko managed to utter.

"Oi, oi," Ayame pulled her brother back by the scruff of his collar. "You're holding her hand longer than necessary."

"Sorry, sorry," Ryo apologized.

"Sorry about my brother, he's an idiot." Ayame apologized to Kyoko.

"Oh, um, it's okay." Kyoko smiled.

She went ahead and walked with Ryohei as the group continued walking to school.

"So, Tsuna," Ayame called the male as she walked behind him. "I see you like Kyoko-chan."

"Wha-? Don't say that so loud! What if she hears?" Tsuna hissed at her, flushing like crazy.

"She won't hear, she's busy listening to Ryohei talk about boxing," Ayame waved her hand in a 'who-cares' fashion.

"Why don't you just confess to her?" Ryo asked him as he took up the space to the left of Tsuna. Ayame took his right.

"What, are you nuts?" Tsuna half-yelled, not wanting Kyoko to overhear their conversation. "Kyoko-chan is like the school's idol! She's smart, kind, pretty and funny! All the boys would kill me!"

"Excuses," Ayame simply snorted. "Hmm... No-good Tsuna... So that's your nickname, huh?"

"Hey, how'd you know, what'd you do?" Tsuna shot the questions, annoyed she knew of his embarrassing nickname.

"I can look through people's memories," Ayame told him with a happy face.

Tsuna sweatdropped.

"Hmm..." Ayame was flipping through his memories again. "Wow, Tsuna, your memories are like a book since a lot of things happened to you since you joined the Mafia world."

"Wai, so interesting, Tsuna battled Byakuran and won?" Ayame smiled. "That's a good thing; we were starting to think nobody could beat Bya-kun."

"Eh? You guys know Byakuran?" Tsuna asked as they passed the school gates.

"Ayame goes for hot guys that know how to fight," Ryo explained to Tsuna. "Bya-kun was one of them."

"She dated Byakuran?" Tsuna was shocked. "Just how old are you two?"

"I'm 14," Ayame said in a purr. "Ryo's 5 minutes older than me, so he's 14 years and 5 minutes old, nya!"

"Shut up, Ayame," Ryo pouted, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

* * *

They went into the classroom and Tsuna went over to his seat with Yamamoto and Gokudera.

The teacher came in and noticed Ayame and Ryo at once.

"Ahem... Okay class, settle down... Today we have two new students joining us... May we welcome the Akanke twins?"

Everybody started clapping and craning their necks to look at the new students.

"Wai, he's so handsome!"

"Wai, I want to date him! I wonder if he has a girlfriend."

"Whoa, that girl looks so cute. I wonder if she has a boyfriend."

"Back off dude, I'm gonna ask her out."

"No way, I'll ask her out!"

_... And they're idols already. _Tsuna thought, sweatdropping.

"You both may take a seat," The teacher told them

"Okay, teacher." Both of them grinned.

"Sit by me, Ayame-chan!" One boy called.

"No, me!" Another one called.

"No, me, me!" Another waved at her.

"Ryo, sit by me!"

"No, me!"

The girls were fighting over who Ryo should sit with.

"You," Ayame told the girl who sat next to the window. "Move."

She got up and shifted quickly, and Ayame sat down in her place.

"I'll be taking this seat then," Ryo grinned down at the boy who was sitting beside Ayame.

"Oh, sure..." The boy got up and moved.

"Wai... They really are twins..."

"They live in a world of their own..."

"They'll always stick together..."

_Sheesh, _Ayame thought, chin in her palm. _There they go again, with the 'twins-can-never-separate' gossip._

_Ahh, _Ryo groaned mentally. _I hate this. They always think Ayame and I can't separate from each other._

Ryo tapped the end of his pencil against the desk softly, the rubber demolishing any noise. He glanced over to his sister, who was chewing on the tip of her pen. They both had learned this stuff before, and repeating it was not really interesting.

Ayame had her gaze directed out the window, she could see to the rooftop. There was a figure lying there, and if she was not wrong, it would be Hibari Kyoya, the Cloud Guardian.

_He's always sleeping, _she realized as she continued watching the figure. _Wait, hasn't he already graduated?_

She flipped through Tsuna's memories. _Ah, I see. Since he's the head of the Disciplinary Committee, the school is afraid of him, and therefore lets him continue to be here._

_This is a great discovery, seeing as to how strong the Cloud Guardian is. _Ayame flipped through the sleeping male's mind. _Hmm, so he lost to Rokudo, huh?_

"Ayame Akanke, please answer question 14."

_Let's see... question 14... What is it, Ryo? _She scanned his mind. _A times y? This is so damn easy._

"Ay, sir." She answered the question before she turned back to staring out of the window.

"Very good. Gokudera Hayato! Answer question 15."

Hibari had gotten up and was looking through the wire mesh down at the class studying below. Ayame's closed eyes met his grey-blue ones for a moment, and time seemed to freeze.

Hibari's eyes only conveyed one thing: Him. Her. Rooftop. Now.

She just smiled at him, but she knew that simple mouth twitch was what Hibari needed for an answer: _I'm in class, so no._

Hibari's eyes narrowed: _I'll get you up here even if I have to do it myself._

With that conveyed, he turned and left the rooftop, heading towards god-knows-where.

Ayame just continued smiling, knowing he would come and get her soon.

"- Will Miss Ayame Akanke please report to the Disciplinary Committee room now? Thank you." A _very _familiar voice announced over the intercom.

"Akanke, go now." The teacher told her before turning back to the board.

"Sure thing, teacher." Ayame got off her seat and strode over to the door, sliding it open. "See ya tomorrow."

As she strolled down the hallway towards the room where Hibari would always be, she pondered over how strong he was.

From the way he had lunged at Ryo yesterday in a protest that he was not weak, it showed that Hibari was an 'attack first' kind of fighter. But there was something about his air, the determination in his eyes; they concluded his resolution to win the match. No matter what.

_This will be interesting, _Ayame thought as she saw the rows of delinquents outside the room.

"Who are you?" One of them stopped her when she tried to enter.

"I'm here to see Hibari." She replied coolly.

"You can't see Kyoya." One of them stepped forward.

"And why not?" She asked, tapping her foot slightly impatiently.

"You won't be able to defeat Kyoya anyway," Another of them snorted, folding his arms.

"And why is that so?" She questioned him, pulling out her kantana from its shaft and pointing it at them. "I can defeat all your people in under a minute."

* * *

Just then, the door to the room sidled open. Hibari stepped out to see what the commotion was about.

"Kyo-sama!" All of the delinquents bowed down immediately.

"I can see you're very well-worshipped," Ayame snorted, kantana in hand.

"All of you step down," Hibari ordered ruthlessly. "She's here to fight with me."

"But, Kyo-sama-!" One of them protested.

"Silence!" The one in front hissed. "Kyo-sama has spoken, do not question his words!"

_Apparently, that guy seems to be the leader of them all, and he serves as Kyoya's assistant, _Ayame observed.

"Tetsu." Hibari said in a dangerous voice. "Do not get in my way again, or I'll bite you to death."

"Yes Kyo-sama." All of them left the hallway.

"I wanted you to come up to the roof because it's more spacious," Hibari told Ayame, turning his eyes onto her like a tiger would stare at his prey.

"Fine, let's go there then." Ayame grinned. "I love a good fight, but what's a good fight without space?"

The both of them walked down the hallway towards the stairs, Ayame flipping through Hibari's memories.

_So they've been through the Arcobaleno trails? _Ayame flipped a few more pages of Hibari's memory story book. _And the first generation's trails too, huh?_

_So they each have their own Vongola box... _Ayame flipped again. _So Hibari's is a porcupine named Roll, huh? Cute, but aggressive._

They reached the stairs and started climbing.

"So, Hibari," Ayame started, hands behind her back. "I take it you're a man of little words."

"..." Hibari said nothing.

"Either that, or..." Ayame pondered over the possibilities. "You're incapable of small talk."

Hibari let out a growl so that she knew she was pissing him off.

"Tsk, Hibari." Ayame rubbed his fur the wrong way, and she was enjoying it. "You should learn to have the gift of small talk, it helps fill in the awkward silence sometimes."

Hibari growled again, louder this time.

"So much like an animal," Ayame sighed, shrugging. "Oh, we've reached."

She twisted the handle and opened the door before stepping out onto the roof, enjoying the cool, crisp air.

"Ciaossu, Hibari, Ayame." An infant with a yellow pacifier greeted them by jumping onto Ayame's shoulder.

"Hello Reborn-kun," Ayame hugged the infant in greeting, scooping him off her shoulder.

Hibari grunted a hello before he pulled out his tonfas.

"You. Me. Now." He growled, impatient.

Ayame pulled her kantana out of its shaft, "Don't cheat now."

She grinned at him, flashing her white teeth that gleamed like fangs in the sun.

Hibari charged her, swinging his tonfas alternatively and quickly. Left, right, left, right. All Ayame could do was block his swings with her sword, he did not give her an opening at all.

She just smiled serenely and kept blocking herself.

Just then, Hibari hit her and sent her flying. _Got it, _Ayame thought as she somersaulted through the air, landing perfectly like a cat on her feet.

"Good strength," She said, "And speed."

The bell rang, but neither was distracted. Hibari charged her again, but this time Ayame let her sword swing. A loud clash of sound was made as the metal hit each other fiercely, creating more clash sounds as they swung again and again.

If anything, it would seem like their weapons were doing a dance; _left, left, right. Left, left, right. Left, left, right._

And then their rhythm would change, _right, left, right. Right, left, right._

Ayame managed to get one of Hibari's tonfas, and flung it away.

"One down, one to go." Ayame announced in a purr.

"Don't get too arrogant now, Ayame." Reborn called from his position. "Hibari's smart."

"I know," Ayame answered, still in a purr.

Hibari let out a grunt. _That girl's so much like a cat._

Ayame swung her sword, making a loud clash as their weapons collided again.

_A big cat, _Hibari corrected.

Their weapons continued dancing with their clashing sounds, producing a melody of metal. Ayame had this 'know-it-all' grin, as if she knew she was going to win the battle, and Hibari was pissed because of that. He did not like her arrogance. If anything, Ayame reminded Hibari of a certain man with a cursed red eye that could change in numbers from one to six, while the other was blue, with a head of navy blue hair, with an arrogant attitude and irritating laugh.

_Rokudo Mukuro._

Hibari growled at the female as they continued their battle. He was at a slight disadvantage though, since one of his tonfas was gone.

... _I have a sudden urge to have some doughnuts. _Ayame's stomach growled. She glanced at the large clock on the school building: 1:30. _It's lunchtime, _she decided.

With a swing of her sword, Hibari's other tonfa was out of his hand.

"I win," She grinned at the male. "Time for lunch."

She turned and left, Reborn on her shoulder.

Hibari growled at her carefree attitude, angry at her for winning, angry at himself for losing. He walked over to his tonfas lying on the ground as the dark clouds overhead swirled. He let out another growl as he bent down and picked his weapons up.

_Next time, _he was determined. _Next time, I'll win._

Just then, his stomach growled.

... Well, at least until he got some lunch first.

* * *

Hibari had just rounded around the corner of the Math building, and he spotted Yamamoto, Gokudera, Ryohei, Kyoko, Ayame, Ryo, the infant Reborn, and Tsuna. They were all sitting on the grass, munching on sandwiches. Ayame was stuffing a pink-iced mini doughnut in her mouth.

"Ah... Yo, Hibari!" Yamamoto greeted the male enthusiastically. "Why don't you come and join us? We have extra sandwiches!"

Hibari glared, narrowing his eyes, but he nevertheless strode over with pride.

"What kind are they?" He asked, still glaring.

"Eh, we got peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, double ham and bacon..." Yamamoto listed all the sandwiches.

"I'll take a double ham and bacon," The carnivore replied.

Yamamoto handed him the soft white bread filled with strips of bacon and ham. Hibari took it and sat down a distance away from the group.

"Listen up, all of you," Reborn said, blowing a red whistle he got out of nowhere.

Everybody turned to face him.

"Tsuna," Reborn turned to regard the male. "Bring all your guardians to the mountains tomorrow. We're taking a field trip."

"Whatever for, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked, startled.

"We'll be listening to Ayame's and Ryo's history, so all of you can grasp the hardships they've suffered in their lives. They may be young, but they are wise. You will see the reason why they are the best fit to train you right now." Reborn explained before he bit into his sandwich again.

"Any questions?" Ryo tilted his head to the side. "Do ask them now."

"No." Ayame growled. "Save the questions for tomorrow."

"Alright," Ryo agreed. "You're not in the mood to answer questions now, huh?"

"Shut up and pass me a sandwich," Ayame snorted at her brother.

"Tsk, so rude." Ryo snorted back, passing her a double ham and bacon sandwich.

All of them continued to eat in silence.

Hibari had finished his third double ham and bacon sandwich, and felt full, so he got up to leave.

"And don't worry, Hibari." Reborn assured the Cloud Guardian quietly as he walked past. "You'll get to fight Ayame again."

Hibari could not stop the smirk slipping onto his face.

"Give me another sandwich, Ryo." Ayame told her brother.

Hibari turned slightly so he could look at her, shook his head, and left the scene.

_I will win._

* * *

"This... is... so... tiring..." Tsuna was already half-dead, and they weren't even halfway up the mountain.

Yamamoto, Ryohei, Ryo and Ayame were still rearing to go, full of energy.

Chrome, Gokudera and Hibari looked okay.

Lambo was not with them.

Reborn was on Ayame's shoulder, sipping lemonade from a glass he had gotten out of nowhere.

They finally reached the halfway rest spot of the mountain.

"Let's take a rest," Ayame told them, unfolding a picnic mat when she noticed Tsuna was suffering silently.

She sat down on the mat and pulled out a box of takoyaki.

"We'll tell you guys about our history now," Ryo told them as he sat beside Ayame, pulling an okonomiyaki out of the picnic basket.

All of them sat down as well, and Ayame passed out hamburgers she had asked Tsuna's mother to cook just this morning.

Everybody bit into tender juicy beef.

"Okay," Ayame said through a mouthful of takoyaki. "We'll let Reborn explain about our past now."

"Alright," Reborn sipped his tea. "I'll explain now."

"Ayame and Ryo were born on 9th of May," Reborn started.

"We don't really need to know that," Gokudera snorted, still a little miffed about Ayame's and his last encounter.

"Don't interrupt," Ryo said dangerously. "You need to hear everything."

"And their father was in the mafia world, at that time. He was pleased to have a baby boy, but not pleased to have a baby girl."

"What? Why? That's so mean!" Tsuna glanced at Ayame, who had her eyes still closed and was looking at a tiny sparrow on the tip of her finger.

"When their father wanted to kill Ayame, their mother stopped him. She ended up risking her life as the knife went through her heart. Because their father loved their mother dearly, this incident made him hate Ayame even more. He abused her every day, hitting her, calling her names, working her to the bone. When they were five, Ayame's spirit was already broken into pieces. Ryo was angry at his dad, angry at everybody for treating her that way. To him, she was half of his soul. To her, she was nothing to everybody. And by the way, by the age of three, both of them were already accomplished hitmen.

"One day, after their 5th birthday celebration party, Ryo was in the restroom, when he overheard two Mafioso talking about the 'boss' – their father – planning to kill his sister tonight, when he was asleep. Ryo was shocked; he did not believe that their own father would go to such lengths to get rid of his beloved sister. That night, he woke her up from her slumber and called her to pack her bag with clothes. Their father was snoring rather loudly as Ryo sneaked into his room and swiped his credit card. The two of them ran away from their home, and never turned back."

"That was their history." Reborn took a sip of his tea. "Now I will explain about their family."

"They were from the Elysia family, although you guys probably have never heard of it. It was massacred after the First World War, because many people thought that it was too powerful. All the mafia families joined together to eliminate the Elysia family. Although the Elysia family fought back fiercely, they were overpowered by numbers."

"Why were they overpowered by numbers if they had Ayame and Ryo with them? Aren't they supposed to be powerful?" Gokudera asked, agitated.

"They _only _had Ayame and Ryo at that time. Ayame and Ryo were their only guardians. Though they are powerful, they were but mere kids. How do you expect them to fight with adults, who have far more strength?" Reborn chided him before continuing his tale.

"With that, the Elysia family was demolished. So, Ayame and Ryo were now homeless, and they wandered the streets. They were only ten then." Reborn took a gulp of his tea.

"Everybody in the mafia was on their trails, wanting to erase the last remnants of the Elysia family. They believed that Ayame and Ryo were cursed, especially so for Ayame. They kept running and running, away from Italy. They ran and ran, throughout the city they kept running. But there was no escape, this they knew. One day, they would be caught, and they would be killed." Reborn glanced over at the twins.

"I'll continue from here," Ryo told them, and everybody turned to face him.

"One day, Ayame stopped running and turned to me. "I'm tired of running," she told me. "I'm sick of this." I agreed with her. This was tiresome. "We're powerful," She told me, an edge to her soft voice. "I think we can beat them." I told her she was crazy. They were adults, with storm, rain, cloud, mist, thunder, sun and sky rings. They were more powerful." Ryo closed his eyes.

"She shook her head and told me no. We were more powerful than they were. We were everything they wanted. We were what they were scared of, that was why they wanted us dead." Ryo smiled a sad smile.

"I told her not to do it. I told her not to do it." He shook his head, and a tear slipped out of his eyes.

"The reason Ayame doesn't open her eyes..." He opened his own, looking at everybody with crimson fury and hurt. "Is because, she sacrificed her eyes to kill all of those people chasing us."

"The truth is..." Ryo closed his eyes again, escaping all of their stares of pity and sympathy.

"Ayame is blind."

* * *

Eh, tadah :D ? Sorry about the very late update, busy with school stuffs, im promoted to sec5 :D Hurray for me. But boo, coz i'll be very busy studying next year. Eh, anyway, i didn't want to update cos there wasnt any reviews... Then i thought i was expecting too much, so i dropped my expectations to at least 50 views, and i have... 131 ! So here :D ! And guess what? I have a review too :D ! This made me so motivated :D

**Lilith Vaan: **

Awesome story! I absolutely loved it and couldn't stop laughing when she ate all that food! xD That part was funny!

Listen up! You better be writing the next chapter! If you aren't then you should start. I'll make Hibari bite you to death! JK! But I will make him bite you to death.

Not trying to kill you though. Just every time he sees you he'll have to bite you. He does it to me, and it gets awkward. lol Sorry! I talk too much.

Anywa~y! Awesome job on this! Keep up the good work!

_Awww, thanks :D Hibari won't bite me, i'll bite him first 3 . Hee :D Keep reading x3 !_

Okay, seriously, sorry for the late update. My friend keeps dragging me to maple these days :D I finally got to update today cos she went to USS, (: So, yay ? But i miss her nowwwwwww T_T ...

Okay, enjoy :D Read & review :D !


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"If she's blind, then... how does she fight?" Gokudera asked, puzzled.

"Yeah..." Yamamoto agreed. "And how did she answer the question just now?"

"It's because we're twins," Ryo replied calmly, taking a drink of his green tea. "We're connected spiritually in such a way that we can see out of each other's minds. Because I'm not blind, Ayame can see through my eyes at the world."

"It must be difficult, though..." Gokudera frowned.

"It is, but you get used to it after a while." Ryo explained. "At first I kept fainting because of her intrusion, but after quite some time I got used to it."

"And soon his mind became mine, so now we think with one mind, and see through one pair of eyes, with similar thoughts of the world... It's like we're intimate lovers." Ayame smiled at all of them.

"But then why do you close your eyes?" Tsuna asked out of curiosity. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to..."

"It's alright, Tsunayoshi." Ayame smiled at him gently. He relaxed visibly. "It's like Ryo said at the sushi store last time, most people think they're contacts. It's forbidden in school, and I got used to closing my eyes. It's easier to connect with Ryo that way."

"Do you ever open your eyes then?" Tsuna asked, really curious now.

"Sure," Ryo answered for his sister. "When she gets really pissed, she opens them, and it always means that the guy fighting her is dead meat."

All of them sweatdropped, with the exception of Hibari, of course.

"How strong is she, really?" Yamamoto was curious to know.

"Very strong," Ryo snorted, reaching for his juice. "She could take on all seven of you and defeat you all in about a minute or so."

"Psh, with them weaklings, I'll take about thirty seconds." Ayame retorted.

"Hey, we're not weaklings!" Gokudera protested in a yell.

"Yeah, we're pretty strong, y'know?" Yamamoto grinned in a carefree fashion.

"Psh, I could fight you all with one hand tied behind my back." Ayame grinned at all of them.

"Um..." Chrome spoke up shyly, clutching the trident to her chest.

"What is it, Guardian of Mist?" Ayame turned to regard her.

"I have a question..." Chrome replied, a little quietly.

"Speak up, Guardian of Mist. I can barely hear you." Ayame told her gently.

"Okay," Chrome stuttered shyly. A blush formed on her pale cheeks. "Um... That time on the rooftop... The fight with the Guardian of Storm... How did you make boss look like he died...? I'm sure it wasn't an illusion..."

"It wasn't an illusion?" Yamamoto and the others blinked at her, puzzled.

Ayame let out a short bout of laughter. Ryo chuckled along as well.

"My, my," Ayame said after she was done laughing. "Sharp as a tack now, are we?"

"She's the first one so far, eh?" Ryo questioned with a wolfish grin.

Ayame chuckled again, "It wasn't an illusion, yes."

"Then what did you do to the Tenth? I'll kill you if you did anything to him!" Gokudera growled fiercely.

"I should probably warn you all..." Ryo said in a dark tone. "Ayame is able to steal souls, even from a distance. She stole Tsunayoshi's soul to make you all believe he was dead, and the cause was Gokudera's bombs."

"Oh..." All of them looked towards the female.

"What?" She asked them, looking at them all.

"Nothing," Tsuna replied for all of them.

"Are you guys scared I'll steal your souls?" Ayame wiggled her fingers towards all of them.

"No way," Gokudera snorted, folding his arms.

"Not really," Yamamoto smiled in his carefree manner.

"W-Well..." Tsuna put his hands up in an 'I-surrender' motion.

"She steals souls easily," Ryo told them, with an angelic smile on his face. "She just reaches out her hand, and your soul will fly to her immediately. She can tell your personality from your aura, too."

"Aura...?" Tsuna questioned. "We don't have any auras."

"You don't have any auras," Ryo snorted. "That _you _can see."

All of them had the same puzzled look on their faces.

"Ever since Ayame became blind, she couldn't see the world yet. However, she could feel. And what she felt around the people all around her, are their auras." Ryo explained.

"Oh... So she can see auras through your eyes?" Gokudera asked, his theoretical side getting the best of him.

"Yeah," Ryo told him. "It's kinda like a faint outline of colour on your body."

Tsuna looked down at his arm, but did not see anything.

"So what can you tell from my aura?" Gokudera asked, eager to know if he was Tsuna's best right-hand man.

"Gokudera Hayato." Ayame called his name.

Gokudera snapped to attention, "Yes!"

"Hot-tempered, stubborn, impatient," Ayame listed his three main characteristics, her hand just inches from his arm. "Your aura is a deep red in colour. This means you let your emotions – mainly anger – take over you sometimes, and blind your judgement. You are quick to judge people, and are always eager for a fight. You do not appreciate any small talk, and always want to get it over with."

"So, what does that mean, exactly?" Gokudera asked, frustrated with Ayame's roundabout way of speaking. "Am I the perfect right-hand man or what?"

"You are..." Ayame trailed off mysteriously. "The worst right-hand man ever."

Gokudera was crushed, "No way, how can that be...? I'm not suited to be the Tenth's right-hand man...? No way..."

"T-That was harsh, Ayame-chan!" Tsuna got cut off by Ayame's finger to his forehead.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." She had her eyes closed in a dream-state kind of manner.

"Y-Yes?" Tsuna stammered, afraid of what she was going to say – or rather, do – next.

"Your aura is orange, and this means you are creative and intelligent. You are most fit to be the Vongola boss, and this you must prove to everyone."

Ayame turned to Yamamoto.

"Yamamoto Takeshi." Ayame's voice now sounded deep and it was echoing all around the site.

"Yes!" Yamamoto snapped to attention, grinning all the while.

"Your aura is blue, but it leans more to the turquoise side." Ayame told him, hand inches from his arm.

"What does that mean?" Yamamoto asked, still grinning.

"You are cool, calm, and collected. You are also caring, loving, love to help others, being sensitive and intuitive." Ayame told him.

She moved on to Chrome.

"Chrome Dokuro." Ayame spoke her name, calling her.

"Y-Yes?" Chrome stammered, shy.

"Your aura is indigo. You are most sensitive and wisest of colors. It is the most intuitive color in the aura, and reveals psychic power of attunement with self. You are also intuitive, visionary, futuristic, idealistic, artistic, and magical."

"That's kind of true," Tsuna commented. "Since Chrome can make illusions."

Ayame had already moved on to the next one.

"Sasagawa Ryohei," She called the energetic 'extreme' male.

"It's finally my turn, to the extreme!" Ryohei yelled, excited.

Her finger on his forehead stopped his yelling short.

"Your aura is yellow," She told him. "It is the colour of awakening, inspiration, intelligence and action. It means you are also optimistic and easy-going."

"That one is so true," Gokudera snorted, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"What did you say, octopus head?" Ryohei yelled at him.

"That you're a big egomaniac!" Gokudera yelled back.

"Oh yeah?" Ryohei was pumped now.

"Silence, you both." Ryo's hands on both their shoulders smouldered their anger.

Ayame moved on to the last guardian at the site. Hibari Kyoya. She reached out her hand, stopping inches away from his arm.

Her face was one that was troubled.

"What's wrong, sis?" Ryo asked her, hand on her shoulder.

"I can't see his aura, and I can't feel it either." Ayame frowned.

"How about you go closer?" Ryo asked, frowning as well.

Ayame let her chilly fingers touch Hibari's arm. He growled at her.

"I don't feel anything," Ayame told Ryo now. She took her fingers away from Hibari's arm.

"What exactly does that entail?" Gokudera interrupted their frowning session.

"Nothing much, really." Ryo told them all calmly. "It's just that Ayame has been able to sense everybody's aura, but isn't able to sense Hibari's."

"Don't scare us uselessly like that," Gokudera snorted.

"We weren't," Ayame said; her voice serious.

"Anyway," Ryo distracted all of them from Ayame's trance. "Why don't you all show us your Vongola boxes? We'd like to see your box weapons."

"Okay," All of them said, after exchanging glances.

"But one at a time," Ryo told them. "Tsunayoshi, go first."

"Come on out, Natsu!" Tsuna called as he summoned his sky lion.

The little lion roared as he came out and leapt up on Tsuna's shoulder. He looked at his master with a frightened look in his eyes.

"Gokudera, your turn." Ayame told him, concentrating on them now.

"Uri, let's go!" Gokudera summoned his little wildcat, who of course, went to scratch his face immediately.

"Yamamoto," Ryo called for the Guardian of Rain.

"Kojiro, Jiro, c'mon!" Yamamoto summoned his swallow and dog.

"Ryohei." Ayame called for the Guardian of Sun, who responded rather enthusiastically.

"Kangaryu!" Ryohei yelled for his kangaroo, "Come out, to the extreme!"

Ryo turned to the next guardian, "Chrome, you're next."

"O-Okay, Mukurowl!" Chrome summoned her owl out.

Ayame turned to regard the last guardian at the site, "Kyoya."

"Humph," Hibari simply grunted before summoning his hedgehog, "Roll."

"Let's see, shall we?" Ryo asked Ayame.

"Of course," She smiled up at her brother, suddenly rather happy. "Come here, Natsu."

The lion cowered behind Tsuna, letting out a whimper.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why, but when we're not in battle, Natsu is this total coward." Tsuna explained as he scooped the lion up.

"It's alright, Tsunayoshi." Ryo told the male. "Ayame has an affinity with animals."

"A-Ah." Tsuna could only mumble.

Ayame strode over to Tsuna and Natsu, "Put him on the ground, Tsunayoshi."

"O-Okay," Tsuna placed Natsu on the ground. The little lion looked up at him in fear.

Ayame crouched down and touched a finger to Natsu's nose. A white flash blinded everyone for a moment.

When everybody could see again, they were greeted with Natsu no longer cowering in fear.

"A little cowardly, but he fights in battle just fine." Ayame observed through Natsu's memories. "Very good, Tsunayoshi."

"Eh...?" Tsuna was puzzled by what was happening.

Ayame walked over to Gokudera and scooped Uri off his face. Another white flash blinded them again.

"Very affectionate through violence," Ayame stated, holding the cat. "But useless in battle unless injected with sun flames. I would encourage you to have a Sun ring, Gokudera."

She handed the kitten back to him and moved on to Yamamoto. His swallow flitted down to her outstretched finger, and Jiro greeted her, his tail wagging.

"Friendly," Ayame commented as she stroked Jiro and Kojiro. She flipped through their memories of the battle with Byakuran.

"Strong and supportive," She noted. "Well done, Yamamoto."

She moved on to Ryohei. Kangaryu bounced up to her, his eyes filled with a determined light.

She put a hand to the kangaroo's forehead. Kangaryu closed his eyes in response.

"Determined, strong and loyal. It will stand by your side forever." Ayame turned to the Sun Guardian. "Good job, Ryohei."

"I am happy to the extreme!" Ryohei exclaimed, punching his fist in the air in victory.

Ayame moved on to Chrome and her winter owl. The latter clutched her trident shyly, blushing.

The owl flew over and landed on her shoulder. It stared up at her.

"It's not really able to do much, is it?" Ayame told Chrome, who blushed even more. "But I guess if your Cambio Forma's Daemon Spade's lenses, I think it's alright."

She stopped at Hibari and took in the hedgehog.

"Kyu," It cried up at her.

She bent down and picked it up, weighing it in her palm.

"Cute," She murmured. "But very strong and dangerous."

She flipped through the tiny hedgehog's memories.

"Quite useful, especially with the Cloud's propagation." She handed Hibari the hedgehog. "Good job."

"Humph," Hibari grunted, a little pleased with himself.

"Alright," Ayame went back to her position beside her brother. "Now, we will strengthen your weapons through training."

Ryo started handing out spears to all of them.

"A spear...?" Each of them questioned as they held onto the spear that was a head taller than most of them, except for Chrome and Tsuna.

"You will use the spear to fight," Ryo explained as he finished handing out the spears.

"They're kind of... heavy." Tsuna told them both, trying to lift his spear.

"Yeah," Yamamoto agreed. "Kind of like a bat!"

Tsuna sweatdropped, _that's not what I meant._

"Hm, heavy huh?" Ayame walked over to Tsuna and took the spear from him, handing him her blue spear. "Here, use this. You should be able to use a Rain spear, since you're the Sky guardian."

"What was I holding just now then?" Tsuna asked, mildly curious.

"A Sky spear." Ryo answered, "It's your greatest compatibility, but it seems you're not used to it yet."

"Oh..." Tsuna lifted up the new spear. "Eh? This spear is lighter..."

"Of course, silly," Ayame told him. "Rain spears are generally lighter than all the others because they are made of a lighter material. Sky spears are made of heavier materials than the rest."

"Each of you are holding a Mist spear, which is quite heavy." Ryo turned to regard all of them. "We are going to fight you, with the spears, first."

"This is to test your physical strength," Ayame told them all. "You can pick either of us to fight."

"We get to choose? Alright!" Gokudera was unusually pumped.

"Tsunayoshi, you will, of course, go first." Ayame told him, smiling. "Pick either of us."

"U-Um, Ayame-chan, I'll pick you then..." Tsuna said, stuttering. "Please don't be too rough with me..."

"Alright," Ayame said before using the end of her spear to draw a huge circle. "This will be the ring. The first one to step out, or get pushed out, loses."

"The battle will not last for more than five minutes," Ryo told them. "This is to avoid any serious injuries."

"A-Alright." Tsuna was determined to get Ayame out of the ring first.

"Ready...?" Ryo asked both parties. "Go!"

Ayame held her place, spear in her hands, standing in a relaxed motion.

Tsuna was sweating a lot already, his weapon almost slipping from his sweaty hands.

Ayame let a smirk slip onto her lips, and in a whisper she said, "Then I shall go first."

She charged forward, fast like a bullet; and Tsuna could only lift up his spear long enough to hit hers.

Tsuna had thought he could beat her, and he was determined.

But Ayame was too fast for him to keep up, especially without his gloves.

Again and again, Ayame swung her spear into his. And before long, his spear flew out of his hands with a clash.

With the tip of her spear pointed at the male, who was sprawled on his behind on the floor, the battle was set.

"Eh? He hasn't lost; he hasn't stepped out of the ring yet!" Gokudera yelled a protest.

"Look at his right hand," Ryo told him. "His fingers are out. Unless you are saying his fingers are not a part of his body."

Gokudera looked, and sure enough, Tsuna's index and third fingers were out of the drawn circle.

Everybody sweatdropped.

"Forget this thing," Ayame told her brother in a huff. "Can't I just see their strengths?"

Ryo sighed, "Fine."

"Hand me back the spears," Ryo told all of them, holding his hand out. "We'll be using another method to get your strengths and weaknesses."

Everybody handed him the spears back, and Ayame ordered them to take out their box weapons.

"First we'll test your physical strength," Ayame told them before taking a spear from her brother and stabbing it into the heart of the earth beneath her.

"Tsunayoshi," She nodded to the boy. "You go first. Try and pull the spear out of the earth."

Tsuna walked over to the blue spear and grabbed the end of it with both his hands. He started to pull with all his strength – but to no avail.

Gokudera stepped up and pulled as hard as he could, just managing to shift the sword upwards a little.

"I can't move it anymore," Gokudera reached his limit after a few moments of pulling, yanking and struggling with the end of the spear.

Yamamoto then tried his luck, and managed to shift the spear out of the soil a little more than Gokudera, who just let out a grunt and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Extreme!" Ryohei yelled before he grabbed the end of the spear and pulled with all his extreme might. The spear was now halfway into the soil, and halfway out.

Chrome was next, and grasped the end of the spear tightly before trying to pull it out of the soil.

She managed to pull it out just a tiny bit.

Finally, it was Hibari's turn. He grasped the end of the spear with one hand, and pulled. The head of the spear emerged from the soil, but was still stuck into it.

He pulled again, but to no avail. The spear's tip remained stuck in the soil.

He grunted, dissatisfied, and stepped back into the circle.

"Do you guys know where your problem lies?" Ryo asked them, regarding them with his crimson eyes.

"Not really," Yamamoto answered, carefree as ever. He had a grin on his face.

"There is no problem with your bonds," Ayame told them, eyes closed. "It's the problem with your resolution."

_Again with that thing? _Tsuna thought. _Reborn said the same thing that time before we fought Byakuran._

Ayame walked over to the spear and pulled it out of the ground with ease.

"A simple spear," She stated as she picked her leg up from the ground and brought the spear onto her knee. With a loud crack, the spear broke into two.

"Can be broken into half easily." She concluded. "Whereas at least seven spears cannot be broken easily."

"That is why," Ryo followed after her sentence. "You all must stick together, for you are a _family._"

"Now Reborn will explain about some of our powers," Ryo told them, smiling, lighting his crimson eyes up. "But it's mostly about our flames."

"Alright," Reborn jumped up onto the huge stump that protruded out of the ground. "As you guys already know, Ayame and Ryo are from the Elysia family."

"Ryo has rain flames," Reborn explained as Ryo raised his hand up so they could all see his ring. "But his are special – they are white."

"White?" Tsuna questioned. "Aren't rain flames supposed to be blue or something, like Yamamoto's?"

"Yes, most of them are," Reborn explained. "But Ryo is special, so his are white. It is also because they are the 'yin-yang twins'."

"Yin-yang twins?" Gokudera questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes," Reborn hopped up onto Tsuna's shoulder and sat down. "Ayame, Ryo, do you mind showing them?"

"Sure," Ryo shrugged and started to unbutton his shirt.

Ayame just sighed and slipped off the edges of her pink tank top, turning to face them so they would not see her front.

There, on both their backs, were the symbols of yin and yang. On Ryo's back was the white part of the circle, and was missing the black. On Ayame's, the black part of the circle was present, but the white part was missing.

"Wow..." Everybody blinked, a little taken aback, shocked and disgruntled at the same time.

"By the way," Ayame offered as she tugged the straps of her top back up, "They're not tattoos, if that's what you're thinking."

"We were born with the symbols on our backs," Ryo told them, a little hurt reflected in his eyes. "So yeah, we're kind of 'cursed' to everybody."

"... Ah."

"And Ayame is the Guardian of the Wind," Reborn explained. "Her flames are black, although research shows that Wind guardians' flames are supposed to be a very light gray."

"We'll show you our flames," Ryo stepped forward and raised his hand, clenching it into a fist.

Immediately, a pure-white as snow flame burst out from the ring, clear and transparent like crystal.

Ayame then raised her hand and closed it into a fist, making a burst of black, clear flames shoot out from her ring.

Both flames danced, flickering around playfully, licking at the air. They were transparent enough to be seen through.

"Whoa," All of them breathed, not knowing they were holding their breaths till they let it go.

"Can we see your box weapons?" Yamamoto asked, curious to see what kind of animals Ryo and Ayame used, well, mostly Ayame's.

"Sure thing," Ayame took out a black box from her jacket, while Ryo produced at white box from his jacket.

Ryo slammed his ring full of dancing white flames into his white box, and then turned it away from his hand. The box's doors slammed open, a white flash of fur flew past all of them, circling once, twice, around them before coming to a stop.

All of them rested their gaze on the creature. A white tiger stood proudly on its fours, black stripes all around its muscular body. A pair of sapphire blue eyes peeked out at all of them. Its paws were huge and prominent, but as seen just now, its speed could not be matched up to.

"This is Flash." Ryo introduced them to the tiger as he bent down to pat the majestic beast.

Ayame then slapped her ring full of black flames into her black box, and a flash of black fur shot out at a rapid speed. It hurtled towards the ground and crashed into it.

From a tucked ball unfurled the creature that was Ayame's weapon. It was a raccoon, a creature that was less fierce than a tiger, lion, or even a snake.

"Thief," Ayame introduced her raccoon to them. It let out a squeak-chatter sound and rubbed its paws together at them, staring at all of them.

Thief's black fur glistened in the sunlight and white ringed its tail.

"Seriously, Ayame-chan?" Gokudera was shocked and amused. "A raccoon?"

"He's cute," Yamamoto grinned as he observed the raccoon chatter and climb up Ayame's leg to her shoulder.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," Ayame told them wisely. Thief perched on her shoulder and chirped at them, as if he knew that they were talking about his bad stuffs.

Out of the blue, a gun sounded somewhere in the distance and a bullet shot past Ayame's left side of her face, missing her flesh by an inch.

Ryo's crimson orbs immediately shot towards the tree that seemed to be still.

"Come out," Ryo demanded, narrowing his eyes dangerously, glaring.

"Who's there? What's going on?" Tsuna was slow as usual as they all looked towards the tree.

The tree shot out two more bullets, but Ryo and Ayame dodged them efficiently.

Sliding something that glistened out of her boot, Ayame threw it at the tree. It hit the bark of the tree at a high speed and produced a loud 'thwap' sound.

The tree dissolved and a person fell crouched to the ground. It was a male, and when he looked up, Tsuna grimaced at the three lined scar he had on his face, above and below his left eye.

His eyes were a grass green, but they were glaring at Ayame and Ryo. His head was shaven, but there were enough short strands to show that his hair was a blonde in color.

"Akanke..." The male stated in a low growl that sounded much like a bear. "I've been looking all over Italy for the both of you..."

Another figure dropped down from the trees, and another, and another...

Soon Tsuna's group was surrounded by many men in black suits and helmets.

"Hello, Gus," Ayame said coldly to the man. "I see you brought your soldiers in black with you."

Ryo smirked, his eyes still narrowed, "Humph, I do think you must have forgot what happened last time to them."

"They have undergone vigorous training," Gus growled back in his bear voice. "They are well-taught on how to use a box weapon and control it."

"Bring it on then," Ayame snorted, a wide, sadistic smile gracing her lips. Her teeth glistened like fangs of a predator ready to sink into its prey. "Let's not wait any longer."

Ryo reached into his boot and pulled something – that looked like a branch – out of it. He outstretched his hand and it shot out longer from both sides.

Tsuna then realized it was a pole, the kind that was used for high jumps.

"Let's go," Ryo grinned at all of the soldiers dressed in black. "Flash."

Flash stepped forward to take his place beside his master. Thief stayed perched on Ayame's shoulder.

"C'mon," Ayame taunted, still having that sadistic grin. "You can't keep me waiting."

One soldier advanced – a stupid move – as Ryo matched his steps and slammed the end of his pole into the guy's stomach.

Blood spurted from the soldier's mouth as he collapsed onto the floor.

"Charge!" Gus yelled in his growl.

All of the soldiers let out a war cry – although they knew they were going to meet their end soon – and all ran forward.

"Idiots," Ryo retorted, snorting.

"Tsuna, get the others and get out of here." Ayame told the boy without looking back. "Take them all to somewhere safe, you all can't handle this."

"Tsuna, this way!" Reborn ordered the male as he jumped onto Yamamoto's shoulder.

All of them hurried away from the site.

"Wait, are we really abandoning them?" Tsuna asked, worried for the twins.

"No," Reborn told him. "Ayame and Ryo can take care of themselves. We need to go somewhere safe. Gus is a partially dangerous man."

They hurried up the wind of the mountain and stopped. They peeked down below, and saw the fight.

* * *

Ryo slammed his pole backwards into another soldier's stomach before swirling it and hitting another on the side of his head. He knocked another soldier down, and another.

Ayame was busy deflecting all of the bullets aimed at both of them as Ryo continued to slam his pole into their stomachs and faces.

One soldier managed to slip past Ryo, and headed for Ayame, knife in the air.

Before he could reach Ayame, he fell dead to the ground, Flash above him.

Soon all the soldiers were down.

"We told you, Gus," She smirked at the blond.

"Humph," Gus grunted, producing a box from his coat. "I'll take care of the both of you, and fast."

"Bring it on," Ryo grinned, pole in hand.

Gus slammed his storm ring into the box and shot it out at the both of them.

Many chains shot out of the box, wrapping around Ryo's arms, legs and weapon.

Ryo's weapon was forced out of his hand as he let out a gasp, the chain wrapping itself around his neck and cutting off his circulation.

"Damn... it..." He growled as he tried to pull in deep gasps of breaths.

* * *

"Oh no," Tsuna was worried. "Ryo's..."

Reborn was frowning at the fight now, an unnerving glisten in his eyes.

"This is bad," Gokudera muttered, "Really bad."

"I hope Ayame will do something," Yamamoto frowned.

"Why isn't she doing anything?" Tsuna asked Reborn.

"She will," Reborn told all of them. "Ryo's her only family now, after all."

"Gus..." Ayame's voice was a notch lower than usual, with a lot of danger lacing it.

Her hair was hiding her face. Slowly, she tilted her head up, bringing her face into everybody's sight.

"You are going to die."

It was not a statement, not a question, but a fact. For the truth behind her words were hidden in her eyes.

Her eyes that were opened and staring at Gus with white orbs.

* * *

Hurhurhur . This chapter is finally out, omg . I had a huge idea block for this one x.x ... So sorry about it , but here's the update. Am swamped with homework nowadays, cos this year is my O levels... I'll try my best to update at least once or twice a week, and even harder to do it around a few days or so. Please, be patient ): !

**Review Replies.**

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_Lilth Vaan  
_

Awesome story! I absolutely loved it and couldn't stop laughing when she ate all that food! xD That part was funny!Listen up! You better be writing the next chapter! If you aren't then you should start. I'll make Hibari bite you to death! JK! But I will make him bite you to death.  
Not trying to kill you though. Just every time he sees you he'll have to bite you. He does it to me, and it gets awkward. lol Sorry! I talk too much.  
Anywa~y! Awesome job on this! Keep up the good work!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :D ! Here's the next chapter, sorry for the long wait. Homework & all ): Please be patient and wait for chapter 4 okay? I really wish to update everyday, but then that would mean that the chapter would suck (a lot), so i'd rather update after some time to prevent the sucky chapters from happening, (:

_Sora Yuuki Uchilen  
_Awesome story, I love reading ones with OC's in them~. This one seems to have a good plot line it to, which is even better! As soon as you said her eyes were white I thought she was blind, and now you say she's blind so I had a happy dance in my mind. I want to read more so I hope you update soon~!

Mygawd, i can't believe i overlooked your review D: ! This is what i get when i'm tired, ._.' So sorry, but here's my reply :D ! Thanks for reviewing, you just made me veryveryvery happy and motivated :D ! Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy :D !

Please be patient for the next chapter, cos i need some time to write so the chapter won't suck. K bye, R&R :D !


	4. Chapter 4

**Reviews first 8D !**

_**Lilth Vaan  
**_^_^ OKAY! Awesome chapter, by the way! Sorry that this is so short.

Aha, s'okay(: I'm fine with any reviews, despite the length. Keep reading, sorry for the wait !

**_Trollzaya  
_**OMG WOW! This story rox! :O I can't believe I never read this sooner! Ayame is SOOO badass! I wish I was as cool as her xD And Ryo is HAAAWT! :O Kyoko's soooo lucky he hits on her! ;)  
But seriously, I'm really lookin forward to how the HibarixAyame is gonna happen! I can't wait for it! They'd make one kickass couple! :D You HAVE to update quickly! PLZ! Is there any chance you're gonna bring the Varia in? I luuuv them and I think it'll be cool to see them interact with Ayame and Ryo. Pretty plz? :D Keep up the good work! And PLZZZ update soon!

Ahaha, i'm glad you liked it :D ! Yeah, i wish i was as cool as Ayame too, but having her in my imagination is kickass enough :3 Haha, it might not happen so soon, maybe little by little since Hibari's so stubborn X: Uhhh, yeah, updates should be weekly/two weeks a chapter. I _do _have school and all. Uhhh, the Varia, huh? I doubt so, sorry hon. However, don't get disappointed. I'll be creating a BelxOC series after this series, i'm already typing out the first chapter of it. Here's the next update, enjoy :D !

_**Aku Sakura  
**_This story has officially confused me. Firstly: When they were five, Ayame's spirit was already broken into pieces. Ryo was angry at his dad, angry at everybody for treating her that way. To him, she was half of his soul. To her, she was nothing to everybody. By the age of three, Ryo was an accomplished hitman, and so was Ayame. They were five then three? Hmm? Secondly: You mention at the age of 10 that they were with the Elysia family which was demolished after WW1, but in the last chapter you mentioned Ayame dated Primo. Clear this up please? You're story has a great plot but makes no sense.

Uh, sorry about that first part. I forgot to add that information in, like something 'oh, and they were accomplished hitmen by three' something like that. Sorry, my mistake. For the second part, I explained more about it in this chapter, but I think i mentioned about a 'curse' before. Yeah, the dating relates to that. I hope you won't be so confused after reading this chapter and continue to support me(: Enjoy!

**_Everlasting-Echo  
_**Well your story is pretty beastly :) it's hard to find stories for KHR that don't have any yaoi, so i'm glad you are writing one...or typing i guess. anyways good story so far i love it and i hope you update soon =)

Thanks :D ! Yeahh, there's alot of yaoi (which i don't mind) , but i don't really write stories that way. It's my weak point i guess(: Enjoy this chapter!

**

* * *

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Chapter 4

Like a cheetah, Ayame moved and was in front of Gus in an instant, the blunt edge of her katana making him fly a few feet away from her.

Within seconds, she was in front of him again; this time equipped with two daggers that glistened in the sunlight.

Mercilessly, she swung both daggers, stabbing the edges of his left and right sleeves respectively onto a tree trunk.

She drew out her katana again, and placed it right beneath his throat.

"I'd make this quick for you," She told him. "But where's the fun in that?"

With that, she landed a few feet away from him, her huge leap shocking the spectators.

"I'll make you regret," She licked the blood – that had oozed out of his throat – off her hand, looking much like a big cat.

"... Ever touching my brother."

She charged relentlessly at him again and again, kicking, punching; alternating with her katana swings and stabs.

Within one minute, Gus lay still on the ground, bleeding from every single part of his thick, muscular body.

He had no time to react at all in the fight; Ayame was too fast.

Of course, it was all because he had tried to kill Ryo. If he had not been as stupid to do so, he would not have died this tragic death.

Ryo had been released from the chain prison long ago, and he had gotten out of the way of the fight already.

He turned to regard Tsuna and the rest, "See? This is why you should never piss Ayame off."

All of them sweatdropped, although they knew it was true.

For Ayame had no mercy when fighting.

* * *

When they all had finished walking down the curly slope of the mountain; they headed straight for the site.

"Ayame-chan, are you alright?" Tsuna questioned the female as they raced towards her.

She slowly tilted her head up; her eyes were back to their closed state.

"Never been better," She smiled happily at him. "So, how was it?"

"Uh," Tsuna stammered. "Well, I think maybe you shouldn't have been so rough on him..."

"Tsk," was the sound Ayame made. "Tsunayoshi, he was about to kill Ryo and me, then kill all of you."

Gokudera gulped, "Really?"

Reborn jumped down from Tsuna's shoulder to face all of them.

"Well," Reborn told them in his baby voice. "I think we should all go home and get some rest. This has been a tough day for you."

"Wait, Reborn-san!" Gokudera stopped the Arcalebeno, "What about that curse you told us about earlier? What about it?"

"I'll explain about that tomorrow," Reborn told him. "For now, all of you go and get some rest. You need it."

"Ah..."

With that, Reborn jumped up onto Ayame's girlfriend and the twins left the site quickly.

"What's with them?" Gokudera asked, blinking.

"Hey, guys," Yamamoto called for all of their attention. "The body's gone."

"What?"

All of them spun around to look for Gus's body, but it was gone.

"Wait, does that mean he's..." Yamamoto trailed off.

"... still alive?"

* * *

"I see you managed to survive, Gus." Ayame regarded the man with cold eyes.

"I wouldn't die with the likes of you," Gus sneered in his bear-growl.

"Let's get this over with, then." Ayame produced her two daggers out of her boots.

Just then, Tsuna and the others rounded the corner.

"I knew it!" Gokudera yelled, pointing at Gus. "He's still alive!"

"Heh?" Gus looked over to them. "It seems you're back to babysitting."

Ayame's eyes grew colder, her frown deeper, "Shut up, Gus."

"You're too weak to kill me now, Akanke." Gus chuckled. "After all, I've inserted the sleep bullet into you."

Tsuna's eyes widened, _sleep bullet? _

Reborn frowned, "The sleep bullet? It's one of the bullets that got cut off shipment because it was too dangerous. How did you get a hold of it?"

"It's easy," Gus chuckled once more. "Through Verde, anything is possible."

"Verde!" Reborn frowned. "I should've known."

"I'll finish you off now, Akanke." Gus charged forward like a bear.

Ayame let a smirk slide onto her lips.

"I may have gone easy on you just now Gus," Ayame told him. "But I _will _kill you for sure this time."

_Bang, bang, _went Gus's gun. Two bullets shot out at lightning speed, whizzing past Ayame.

Her white orbs darted backwards as she somersaulted and deflected the bullets away from Tsuna.

"Sharp as usual," Gus praised. "But let's see how long you can last with the sleep bullet embedded in you."

The sleep bullet was effective that was for sure. Ayame felt her vision swirl and blur at the edges.

_I can't black out, _she growled in her thoughts. _I have to protect Ryo, Tsuna and the others..._

_... And Hibari... _Blinking her closing eyes, she diverted her attention back to Gus.

"I'll finish you off," She growled at him as she leapt up into the air.

_First I have to get his boxes, _she thought as she brought out her box that contained Thief.

_Click, _went her ring as she slammed it into the box's entrance. Thief shot out in a stream of black flames, heading straight for Gus.

Gus, misinterpreting it for an attack, tried to dodge. Unknown to him, Thief had swiped his box.

Thief quickly made a U-turn and headed back to Ayame.

"What the hell is that raccoon doing?" Gokudera yelled.

Gus reached into his coat for his chain box, fondling around the pockets before realizing it had been swiped.

Thief deposited the box on Ayame's right palm. She stroked him before she raised her ring finger and let out a burst of black flames.

She slammed the black flames into the box and let the weapon burst out at Gus, engulfing him in a series of chains.

The flames on the chains changed from their red colour to dark maroon before changing to black.

"Wha-?" Gokudera was shocked at the change of the flames' colour.

"What's going on, Reborn?" Yamamoto asked.

"Oh yes," Reborn remembered he had not explained something to them. "I forgot to tell you guys of their flames' properties."

"Like the Sky flame's property is harmony, therefore it can be used with any box." Reborn went on.

"For Ayame, her Wind flames had the Adaptability property. This means that the flames are able to adapt to the box's flames, and then change it to Wind flames. This makes it easier for Wind guardians to use many boxes at once."

"For Ryo, because his Rain flames are of a different version, their properties differ as well. His rain flames have the Stability property. This means that whenever he uses his flames, his flames are equalized and stabled out into flames that are able to crush the enemy, or just give a slight burn, according to the tension in the air. He is also able to heal any wounds, which is a special trait."

"Ahh," All of them understood it now.

The chains around Gus grew tighter and tighter. Ayame's eyes were as cold as the wind blowing all around them.

"Goodbye, Gus."

With a curl of her right fist, the chains wrapped around Gus so tightly till his whole body could not withstand the pressure. With a loud scream, the chains devoured him and burst into pieces.

There was no trace of Gus left. There was no blood, no flesh, and no dead body.

"Where did he go...?" Gokudera questioned, although he feared the answer.

"He's gone." Ayame informed him, a red flame of a spirit resting in her right palm.

"I will kill you!" The red flame squealed in Gus's recognizable bear voice. "I will revive, and I will kill you!"

Ayame looked down coldly at the flame. "You are nothing but a flame of a spirit, Gus."

"There is no way you can crush me," She informed him. "But I can crush _you_."

With that said, she reached up her left hand, and extinguished the fire.

"... Is he gone now?" Yamamoto questioned, looking at Ayame's empty hands.

"Gus..." Ayame pronounced his name with a hint of pity. "Has gone to Heaven."

"Or hell," Ryo told them, rotating his right shoulder about its joint. "Man, I'm beat. Let's go home and have dinner already."

"Wait," Gokudera yelled, putting his palms in the air to stop everybody. "What the hell was that? If you're powerful, why did your box weapon steer away from Gus?"

Everybody recalled the moment when Thief made a U-turn.

"Yeah Ayame," Yamamoto agreed with Gokudera. "What was that?"

"You do know," Ayame said calmly while patting Thief, "I _did _name him 'Thief' for a reason."

"Wait-..." Gokudera pondered that for awhile. "So he's just for snitching things?"

"Not just any things, Gokudera." Ayame smirked. "Box weapons are what drive Thief mad."

The raccoon chattered as if scolding them for talking about him, Gus's stolen box in his paws. He sniffed at it, before glancing up at Ayame.

Everybody kept quiet for awhile, absorbing this information.

"Ah!" Chrome started. "I have to go and buy some stuff for Ken and Chikusa!"

With that, she scurried away, clutching the trident to her chest.

"Well, let's go home now then." Yamamoto said in his carefree manner. "I'm hungry too, and I'm sure my old man's business is just flourishing, so I'll go help him."

"Well, I'm tired too, so I guess I'll go too." Gokudera left with Yamamoto.

"Humph," Hibari grunted before turning and taking his leave as well.

"I've got to get home, to the extreme!" Ryohei yelled and charged down the mountain.

"Let's go home, Tsunayoshi!" Ayame and Ryo grinned at the male.

Tsuna smiled back, "Okay."

"Mom, we're back!" Tsuna called out to his mother as they entered the door.

"Ah, Tsu-kun, welcome back!" His mother greeted him, ladle in her hand.

"Uwah~ smells good!" Ayame claimed as she sniffed the air. "What're you cooking?"

"Is it ready yet?" Ryo questioned, "We're starving!"

The older female chuckled at the three of them, "It's almost done. Could you help me set the table please?"

"Okay!" Ryo and Ayame agreed enthusiastically, entering the kitchen quickly.

_At first glance, they both look like normal people. _Tsuna thought as he followed them. _You don't know anything of their past, what it was like for them and stuff..._

_But after Reborn explained about their past to me... _Tsuna helped to get the utensils. _I now know why they always try their best to be happy nowadays._

_It's to show people that... they are strong mentally. They suffered a lot in the past, but they can live happily now._

A smile slid onto his face.

_I like them a lot. I'll treat them nicer from now on. They deserve it. _He set the forks and spoons on the table.

_After all, all of us are in this 'family' together._

Little did he know, Reborn had been reading his mind, a knowing smile on his face.

* * *

"Ah, where's Lambo-kun?" Tsuna realized the kid was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, I-pin-chan isn't here either," Ayame informed all of them. "Where could the two of them ran off to?"

"Where's Ryo too?" Reborn questioned.

"Crap, where did the three of them go?" Tsuna panicked straightaway.

"Relax, Tsunayoshi. Ryo wouldn't run off somewhere stupidly, and I doubt I-pin would do that too. Lambo's the one we should worry about the most." Ayame told him.

Just then, Ryo stepped in through the door, I-pin and Lambo in his arms.

"I found them in the backyard," He told the rest. "They were kind of tired from playing, so they rested there."

"Oh my," Tsuna's mother sighed, cupping her chin in her hand. "What am I supposed to do with those two?"

"Dinner," Ayame pouted, a hint of a whine in her voice.

"Oh, of course, right!" Tsuna's mother immediately set the food onto the plates.

All of them sat down and placed their napkins in their laps.

"Itadakimasu!"

They started to eat. The dishes this time were: beef steak, rice, carrots, broccoli and mashed potatoes. Each of them had a glass of orange juice.

"Mama, you sure cooked a lot today," Reborn told her as he chewed his cut-up steak.

"Ah, yes," She agreed to Reborn's comment. "Since Ayame-chan and Ryo-chan eat alot, I have to cook more."

"Thanks!" Ayame and Ryo smiled up at her like little angels.

"Aww," She sighed at the cute sight.

Tsuna sweatdropped – _she doesn't even know their real personalities... They're devils, devils!_

They dug into the food, Ayame and Ryo enjoying theirs with relish.

Soon later, the twins had finished their food, and Tsuna looked at them with expectancy.

Ayame rubbed her stomach while Ryo licked his lips. Everybody at the table waited...

Both of them looked up at all the expecting faces, Ayame's eyes closed in their usual manner.

She smiled at all of them and pushed the plate away from her, "I'm full."

All of their jaws dropped.

"You're full?" Ryo teased. "It must be the end of the world."

"Mou, shut up!" Ayame put her chin on her palm. "I just don't feel like eating."

"Well, okay, let's go to bed first then." Ryo suggested, standing up and placing his plate in the sink.

Ayame did the same, "Tsunayoshi, don't sleep too late."

"O-Okay," Tsuna managed to stammer, still a little stunned that Ayame did not ask for seconds.

* * *

By the time Tsuna had finished revising his homework at the kitchen table, and went upstairs into his room, Ayame was already asleep, curled up on her pile of cushions.

Ryo entered the room after Tsuna, and bent down next to his sister, putting two fingers on her neck.

"Sleep bullet took effect," He told Tsuna and Reborn.

"Ah, the sleep bullet that Gus shot at her?" Tsuna asked the obvious question.

"Yes, Tsuna," Ryo replied simply. "The sleep bullet that she got shot at by Gus."

"No wonder she didn't want to eat more just now," Tsuna frowned. "The sleep bullet was taking effect, so she felt sleepy; therefore she was unable to eat more."

"Tsunayoshi," Ryo began. "I am impressed. You are looking at things much more maturely now, after your battle with Byakuran."

Tsuna's eyes widened, _am I?_

"Well, I'm getting some sleep too," Ryo informed Tsuna as he turned on his heel and went back down the stairs to his sofa-bed.

Tsuna turned back to the female dozing silently on the bed, curled up like nobody's business.

"Well, I'm retiring for the night too then," Reborn jumped up onto his hammock and fell asleep immediately.

Tsuna sat on his bed and then stretched out his full figure onto it, staring at the ceiling for a prolong moment before turning to his side and closing his eyes.

_Things are weird but so lively with Reborn around._

* * *

Tsuna slowly opened his eyes, blinking them a few times before sitting up in his bed. He rubbed his left eye as he glanced down at Ayame's pillow-bed. She was gone.

_She's probably downstairs... _He thought as he descended the stairs after brushing his teeth.

He let out a yawn as he entered the kitchen.

"Oh, morning Tsu-kun!" His mother greeted him happily as she fried bacon in the pan.

"Morning..." Tsuna greeted her less enthusiastically before taking his seat in one of the chairs.

Soon the bacon and eggs were set in a plate; each one of them had two eggs and three strips of bacon. Ayame and Ryo had three eggs and five strips of bacon.

"Mmm, smells good!" Ayame commented, picking up her fork and knife.

"Itadakimasu!"

"Uwah~ the bacon's so juicy and crisp!" Ayame grinned happily as she chewed the bacon, shoving the pieces into her mouth like a monster eating trucks.

Ryo was also shoving – slowly – his bacon into his mouth, although with more grace than his sister.

Soon the both of them were done and were waiting for Tsuna to finish up his breakfast so they could leave for school.

Under their intense stares, Tsuna quickly shoved the last bite of his egg into his mouth and placed his plate into the sink.

"We're going!" Ayame said for him as Tsuna got his bag and stuffed his feet into his socks and shoes.

"Stay safe!" All the kids and Tsuna's mother stood at the doorway waving.

* * *

Reborn sat on Tsuna's shoulder as the three of them exited the gate and started the walk to school.

"Tsuna, remember to gather the guardians at the school's rooftop after school." Reborn reminded the male. "We have to explain about Ayame and Ryo to them."

"Huh?" Tsuna swivelled his head to look at his tutor. "Whatever for? Don't we already know what are their powers and everything?"

"Not everything, Tsuna." Reborn told him. "Just do it."

"Alright..." Tsuna agreed, knowing he could not go against Reborn.

* * *

Soon they reached the school gates, and of course, Hibari stood there majestically, tonfas in hand. He was not wearing his discipline committee jacket. He shifted his misty eyes over to the three people that had just arrived.

He lifted his left tonfa and pointed at them.

Tsuna came to a halt immediately.

Ayame just chuckled slightly and smiled up at the dark-haired male. Ryo let his lips slip up into a smirk and regarded Hibari with his crimson eyes.

Hibari's eyes narrowed at the twins before he lowered his tonfa.

As the three of them walked past him – more of walking very fast past Hibari for Tsuna – and Ayame let her lips tilt up into a smirk at Hibari before she proceeded through the gates.

Hibari clutched his tonfas tightly, making the palm of his hands and his knuckles white.

"I'll defeat you," Hibari growled softly.

* * *

Tsuna mentally let out a groan as he stared at the worksheet his teacher had just given out.

_T... a... s... t... e... What the hell did these letters spell? _Tsuna let out another mental groan as he visualized himself banging his head against the table till he bled to death.

But then again, maybe English was not that hard as he imagined it to be. _T... a... it adds up to Ta, right? It's pronounced as tu-h, right? Right? _

Beads of sweat formed on the boy's forehead as the question: _Is this right, is this right, and is this right, _echoes through his mind like it was an empty, hollow drum.

"Alright now class," The teacher regarded all of them with this 'I-am-more-superior-than-you' look. "Repeat after me."

"T-a-s-t-e," His voice sounded nasally and weird in his Japanese accent when using English.

"T-a-s-t-e," The class repeated obediently.

"This five letters spell 'taste'," The teacher informed them as he let out an ungracious snort.

Just as he was about to snort out even more spittle at the students; the bell rang and cut him off short.

"Well, goodbye class," He spat at all of them before gathering his things.

The scraping sounds of the chairs hit the floor as the students stood up to leave.

Yamamoto and Gokudera stepped up to Tsuna's table through the crowd.

"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto grinned down at the male.

"Tenth, it's so good to see you!" Gokudera smiled happily like a content cat.

"Well, let's go then," Tsuna smiled up at them.

* * *

As the three of them headed out into the hallway, Yamamoto told them that the twins were not with them.

"Speak of the devil," Gokudera grunted as the two of them appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't you mean devil_s_?" Ryo questioned, grinning heartedly away.

Ayame seemed to be a little more hostile, her soft pink lips pulled into a deep frown.

"What's wrong with Ayame?" Tsuna questioned, glancing at her and taking in her expression.

"Ah, she just dislikes crowds." Ryo told him, "Nothing to worry about."

They then proceeded to the staircase leading to the roof, Gokudera deep in thought. Climbing from the first floor to the fourth proved to be a tiring experience, especially so for Tsuna who did not exercise daily.

* * *

When they swung the roof's door open, Hibari, Reborn, Chrome and Ryohei were there waiting for them.

"You sure took your time," Reborn smirked at them.

"There was a crowd," Ayame let out a slight growl at the word 'crowd'.

"It took more than plain effort for my sister to walk through a crowd without stabbing them to death," Ryo explained cheerfully to all of them.

"Ayame, can we see your daggers again?" Yamamoto asked in his carefree way.

"Why?" Ayame shot the question much more fiercely than she originally planned.

"I didn't get a proper look at them yesterday," Yamamoto grinned heartily.

Ayame stared hard at him for awhile, ascertaining the truth behind his words.

"He's trustable," Ryo told her under his breath so none of them could hear.

Ayame let her head fall into a curt nod that only her twin could notice.

"Alright," She spoke in a louder voice, pulling her daggers out of her boots.

She held them in her hands, letting the handle dangle between her fingers so they could get a better view of it.

The blade was made of stainless steel, as usual for most weapons, but its handle was gold-rimmed around the edges. The handle was coloured black, and the blade shone dangerously in the sunlight.

"Wow, it's beautiful..." Yamamoto admired its gleam.

Hibari was staring – or rather, glaring – at it.

"Done?" Ayame questioned Yamamoto.

"Sure," Yamamoto grinned back, done admiring the beautiful blade.

"Alright," Ryo grunted. "I'm sure most of you are still wondering why we said Ayame dated Primo, but she looks and is your age."

"We're going to explain about that," Ayame continued, "So feel free to take a seat."

Everybody sat down, excited about that new information.

"Alright, so you're all seated," Ayame took a note of that. "Well, make yourselves comfortable."

They shifted about obediently; making themselves more comfortable.

"Well, we'll start explaining now," Ayame and Ryo said together.

"We _are _the same age as all of you here," Ryo told them. "We are 14 years old."

"So how _did _you date Primo?" Gokudera asked, irritated with their roundabout way of speaking.

"Be patient," Ayame reprimanded him.

"Of course, there is more to than just one property to a flame. Because this 'two or more' property is very rare, and I mean rare as in the one in a million chance, not many people have it." Ryo continued.

"Because we are the 'yin-yang twins'," Ayame continued for him, "We have an ability; like Byakuran does."

"Remember?" Ryo told them. "Byakuran was able to transport himself to another three-dimensional world."

"Unfortunately," Ayame added to the end of his sentence. "We aren't able to do that."

"Can you get on with it already?" Gokudera yelled impatiently.

"We were getting to the point," Ayame told him in a cold tone.

"Our ability is to time-travel." Ryo told all of them. "We can travel, like Byakuran, but our ability is limited to history and future."

"However, there is a minor- major, if you ask me – setback." Ayame told them. "When we time-travel too much, our ages... well, they get 'stuck' for quite a while."

"Stuck for how long?" Tsuna questioned them.

"Good question," Ryo praised him. "It lasts for at least... a range of 1 to 6 years, depending on how much we travelled back and forth."

"So... you guys are 17 years old?" Tsuna asked.

"No, Tsuna, we're rightfully 15." Ayame regarded him with her closed eyes. "By your world's means, we're 14, but we're actually 15."

"We're one year behind here," Ryo said cheerfully.

"Mmm," Ayame purred, stretching out like a cat. She let out a yawn.

"Wait a minute now," Gokudera scowled. "How _did _you date Primo then?"

"Oh, that," Ryo snorted. "That time we shot back to the past by accident – it was the day we discovered our time-travelling prowess – we were only... fourteen, actually. Well, in a nutshell, Ayame saw Primo, fell for him, and they dated for a short while."

"Oh," Everybody finally knew how she dated Primo.

"Is that all for today?" Yamamoto asked, curious.

"Of course not, Yamamoto." Ayame told him as she laid on the ground, pawing at the air as if it was a ball of yarn.

She let out another yawn as she stretched her body even more, twisting like she was really a cat.

All of them could imagine her with a pair of cat ears and tail, with huge paws accompanied with claws. They could envision her licking one of those prominent paws, and then brushing that paw behind her ear. Just like a cat.

"Let's fight," Ayame purred at Yamamoto.

He grinned and unsheathed his sword. She slipped her kantana out of its sheath and both blades gleamed in the sun.

"Step back," Ayame told all of them. "This could get a little rough."

Both swords fly at each other at the same speed and with a loud clash, the blades met.

Again and again their swords met; Yamamoto's face was serious.

In a furious dance their swords went, meeting each other again and again. The blades struck angrily at each other, as if they were long-lost enemies.

With a swing of her sword, Yamamoto flew a distance away from Ayame. Without hesitation, Yamamoto got back up on his feet and charged at Ayame again.

Their swords met again with a loud clash, and both of them resumed swinging. Alternating her sword with her left and right hands, Ayame's handling of the sharp blade was professional as if she had been trained to do it since young.

When Ayame deflected Yamamoto away from her the second time; he took the chance and summoned Jiro and Kojiro.

Jiro threw him another sword while Kojiro swooped towards Ayame.

With a swing of her sword, the swallow fell. Yamamoto swung his swords and their swords met again, Ayame's in the middle of Yamamoto's two swords.

Yamamoto grins, thinking he had the lead now.

"Alright, Yamamoto!" Gokudera cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

"Don't get too happy," Reborn told all of them.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Ryo smirked.

A smirk slid onto Ayame's lips, giving the others the benefit of doubt before she swung her sword.

Yamamoto jumped backwards instinctively, although not fast enough. Her sword had made a cut through his left arm.

The maroon blood dripped from the edge of her blade; and she let out a laugh. It was not her normal laugh. It was a laughter that was so filled with something – something much more different... _Sadism._

Ryo started, "Get him away from her."

"What?" Tsuna and the others stared at him blankly.

"Get Yamamoto away from my sister," Ryo repeated. "Now!"

Blinking fast, Tsuna's body moved without his knowledge and consent and grabbed Yamamoto's uninjured arm and dragged him away from the deranged girl.

Ayame continued giggling as if she just had ate two whole bags of sugar and was waiting for dessert.

Except the look on her face was out of craziness.

Ryo grabbed her hands and pulled them together, grasping her wrists tightly.

"Ayame, calm down," Ryo spoke to her, his voice calm and steady despite the fact that his grip on her wrists was very tight.

"What's wrong with her?" Tsuna asked. "What's going on?"

"Here," Reborn handed Yamamoto his handkerchief. Yamamoto took it with a quiet 'thanks' and started to dab his bleeding wound.

Ayame's giggles were getting louder and louder, echoing all around them.

"Ayame tends to go a little crazy when she smells blood," Ryo explained as he held his sister.

"But then why didn't she go crazy when she slashed Gus?" Gokudera questioned, puzzled.

"I don't know," Ryo bit his lip. "She goes crazy whenever a Guardian sheds blood; but not for other people."

"We haven't been able to dig out the truth yet," Reborn told them.

Ayame was trembling now, repeating one word that sent chills up their spines.

"Blood... blood... blood..."

"I think it's the trauma of losing her sight that time," Ryo told them. "When she fought off all those Mafioso, there was a lot of blood lost, and some of it was not theirs."

"How do we stop her?" Tsuna asked, a little afraid of the crazed look Ayame was giving Yamamoto.

"We don't know," Ryo told them truthfully. "Whenever a Guardian bleeds – and let me tell you it happened numerous times – she goes crazy, but when we stop the blood flowing, she snaps out of it."

Everybody turned to face Yamamoto, who was still trying to stop the blood.

"There's too much," Tsuna stated the obvious.

"One lousy handkerchief won't do it!" Gokudera yelled, "We need a towel or bandage!"

"I think her sword got in a little deep," Yamamoto said with a grimace. Reborn's handkerchief was dyed red.

"We have to stop it somehow-!"

Without another word, Gokudera ripped his shirt off and bandaged Yamamoto's wound.

"I think that'll stop it for awhile," Yamamoto grinned up at Gokudera. "Thanks."

Ryo looked at his sister, who was still grinning like a maniac.

"She's not snapping out of it," Ryo said, a hint of panic in his voice.

"What?" Tsuna and the others yelled. "But Gokudera's shirt-!"

"Of course she won't," Hibari growled, finally speaking.

Everybody turned to face him, "Why not?"

"The blood already seeped through the material," Hibari pointed out.

Everybody turned to look, and sure enough, there was a huge patch of blood on the shirt.

"To think I sacrificed my shirt..." Gokudera sweatdropped.

"Sorry, Gokudera." Yamamoto grimaced, blood still pouring from his wound.

"Wait," Tsuna snapped his fingers, "Can't Ryo heal him? Reborn, you did mention Ryo had a healing trait yesterday."

"I could," Ryo grimaced at them, "But I'm busy containing my frenzied sister here, in case you haven't noticed."

"I'll hold her for you," Gokudera claimed, taking a step forward.

"No," Ryo told him. "She's too dangerous for you all to handle."

Ayame was struggling; trying to get out of his vice-grip. She was still giggling.

"Well, we have to distract her somehow," Tsuna said, panic and despair in his voice.

Everybody thought for awhile; even though they knew they couldn't. The moment now was too tense, too anxious for any one of their measly brains to work properly.

Just then; a movement caught their attention from the corners of their eyes. Everybody looked up to see Hibari striding over to the twins. In Ryo's capture, Ayame was not able to do anything, or react at all to what Hibari did next. Leaning down, the male gave her a look that simply said, 'Stop'.

And then he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss.

* * *

HOOHOOHOO 8D . CHAPTER'S UP *RUNS AROUND IN CIRCLES SCREAMING IN JOY* SORRY FOR THE WAIT, ): ! R&R, please(: Next chapter should be up by next week or nextnext week, pinkypromise. Unless i get so busy that i can't even type it out. Blargh, daily homework and food and nutrition coursework ):


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ayame's eyes snapped open; and with white orbs, stared into space for awhile.

"What's wrong with Ayame?" Tsuna risked the question hesitantly.

"She's blind, remember?" Ryo told him in an 'uh-duh' tone. "She's wondering who kissed her."

"She knows someone kissed her?" Gokudera asked idiotically.

"Of course she does," Ryo snorted. "You feel something soft and warm on your lips, what do you think it is?"

Gokudera snorted, "Something, I guess."

"Wow," Ryo said sarcastically. "How genius."

He turned to regard his sister, "Are you alright, baby sister?"

"Who kissed me?" Ayame questioned, closing her eyes again.

"Blackout?" Ryo asked as he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Better?"

"Much," Ayame told him.

"What's going on now?" Gokudera asked, a little irritated by their secretive ways of communication.

"Ah, yes," Ryo sighed. "Well, when someone kisses Ayame, her sight blacks out, so she can't see anything, especially so if she can't connect to that person's mind."

"Let me guess;" Ayame snorted. "Hibari kissed me."

"Wow," Yamamoto's eyes widened. "How'd she know?"

"Well, that's easy," Ryo shrugged.

"Hibari's the only one whose mind I can't connect to," Ayame cut Ryo off. "Well, I'm beat. Let's rest for today."

_Does she always do things her own way? _Tsuna sweatdropped as he followed the twins down the stairs.

Gokudera and Yamamoto raced after them; Hibari as well, acting as if nothing had happened.

The Cloud Guardian strode past all of them; glancing at Ayame. Ryo saw it, but kept quiet, a knowing smirk on his face.

Little did any of them know, the incident affected Ayame in more ways than one.

* * *

It had been a long, long time. It had been a long while since she had ever felt this. It was always this, this that made her weak, this that made her imperfect those plenty years ago.

It was him who had made her this way. It was all _him_. _His _fault. _His _wrong. _His. _

It didn't help, especially so if Hibari reminded her of all that happened between them.

Hibari was certainly strong – that was for sure. Biting her lip, she grimaced at the night sky.

"Something wrong, baby sister?" Ryo appeared somehow out of thin air.

"..." Ayame's silence informed him of what was needed for him to know.

"Still a little ruffled, are we?" He questioned, clasping his hands together as he took a seat next to her on Tsuna's bed.

A glance from his sister's closed gaze told him she was more than just 'a little ruffled'.

"It's alright," Ryo told her, patting her shoulder. "I'm sure you can do it."

"You think I can forget about him?" Ayame's tone was a little sharper than she intended.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, covering her face with both her hands. "I don't know what's coming over me."

"It's him." Ryo told her. "It's alright."

Sighing, Ayame fell onto her cushion bed and snuggled into them.

"Night, baby sister," Ryo told her, knowing she did not want to talk about it any longer.

She mumbled something incoherent, but he just stepped out of the room silently.

* * *

"How's Ayame?" Reborn asked him when he entered the kitchen.

"Still a little shaken up," Ryo grinned at him. "That was surprising."

"To think Hibari would do that?" Reborn had his usual smile on his face.

"Yep," Ryo told him. "Surprising."

"That really was surprising," Tsuna sighed, joining them.

"It was indeed, Tsunayoshi." Ryo smiled at him.

* * *

Yamamoto and Gokudera entered the room as well, with a 'welcome in' from Tsuna's mother.

"It's already so late, why aren't you guys at home?" Ryo questioned, sipping his green tea.

"Eh, well, things are slow at my father's place, so I decided to drop by." Yamamoto replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"I wanted to see the Tenth," Gokudera grunted. "Did I require your permission for that?"

"Not at all," Ryo told him, closing his eyes for a brief moment, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Why do you all think Hibari did what he did just now?" Ryo opened his eyes and regarded them with a wisdom that made their dinners churn in their stomach.

"Well, I don't know," Gokudera shrugged. "Hibari's mostly been so distant from us, I feel like I don't know him."

Tsuna shrugged, helpless too.

"I think it's because I was in danger," Yamamoto put a hand to his chin in thought. "I'm a Namimori student, so he probably felt compelled to protect me."

"Yeah..." Tsuna agreed, nodding. Hibari was protective of the school and its students.

"Hmm... Could be..." Ryo contemplated the thought. "... Nah..."

"What's up, Ryo?" Reborn asked, catching the pause at the end.

"... Just contemplating something." Ryo flashed Reborn a smile. "Nothing to worry about."

"... But it could still be possible." Ryo added quietly.

Reborn heard the catch in Ryo's tone, and smiled briefly to himself. They both knew that Ayame wasn't over it.

_

* * *

_

It was raining. The skies were painted a dark grey, with black circling clouds. Primo and the rest were sitting in a cottage, slowly letting the soft pelting of the rain sink into their brains.

"_This is boring," Lampo yawned, stretched out on a chair._

"_Shut up, stupid cow." G growled at the Thunder guardian._

"_We can't stay inside forever," The Rain Guardian said softly, stating what was needed to be stated._

"_Indeed, Asari." Primo nodded, calling the Rain Guardian by his name. "However, it is pouring outside. We are unable to step outside."_

"_What do we do then?" Daemon Spade asked, flicking his fingers at a fly._

"_I say we go out there and win, to the EXTREME!" Knuckle shouted._

_Primo just smiled at all his guardians._

_

* * *

_

The rain mercilessly beat down on their faces.

"_Hurry up, Ayame!" Ryo called to his sister, his eyes wide with worry._

_Ayame stumbled yet again. "I'm trying to!" She yelled back, tears lining her eyes._

"_Here!" Ryo pulled his sister behind a bush as the group chasing them ran past._

_They stayed low for a few heartbeats more, before Ryo slowly stood up and peered around._

"_C'mon, let's move."_

_They continued running._

* * *

"_There they are!" A voice rumbled. "Get them!"_

_Ryo's eyes shut tight as he prayed for someone – something, anything – to get them out of the streets of Italy. Something to just come and warp them out of this hellhole._

_There was a bright flash, and when Ryo peeked open a crimson orb, the first thing he noticed was that they were no longer on the fearsome streets of Italy._

"_... Where are we...?" His voice shook as he slowly unfurled from his sister._

_Ayame slowly got up as well. Her vision narrowed down through his mind, and she took in a glimpse of their new surroundings._

"_There's light over there." Ryo told her as he grasped her cold, shivering hands. "Come on."_

_Without hesitation, he knocked boldly on the door, his sister in tow. She was shivering, frightful, of the cold and the hunt._

_There was a prolonged moment before the door swung open, producing a loud creak as it did so._

_A man peered through the crack, his orange eyes glowing._

_His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the drenched teenagers, shivering and clad in rags._

_He immediately opened the door fully and ushered them in._

_The boy muttered a gracious string of Italian, saying thank you._

"_Take a seat," Primo told them. "G, bring them both chairs. Place them next to the fireplace... Thank you."_

"_Here, dry yourselves." Asari handed them both towels. _

_All the Guardians took in their appearance. The female had closed eyes, and soot black hair and fell down to her waist. The male had crimson eyes and the same black hair as she did. They were both clad in torn clothes._

_Asari handed them both mugs of hot tea. The boy thanked him, but the girl remained silent._

"_Aren't you supposed to thank us for our hospitality?" Alaude piped up, his tone dangerous._

_The girl turned to regard him._

"_Thank you." Her voice was soft._

"_Why don't you tell us what happened," Primo said softly._

_The boy peered at him over his mug of tea. _

"_Why don't you start with your names?" Primo continued gently._

_The male blinked at him, observing him. Primo then realized he was gauging how much he could tell him and the rest. This is a smart kid, Primo thought._

_The female's lips lifted up at the corner._

_The boy looked over to the girl, and a few moments of silence followed._

_The girl then let her closed gaze turn to the boy, and he nodded in silence._

"_My name's Ryo." He began, his voice a little broken. "This is my sister, Ayame." He waved to the girl._

_The girl gave them a nod in greeting._

"_We were running from some people in Italy." Ryo continued, blinking. "But somehow we ended up here."_

"_You were in Italy?" Primo asked, genuinely curious now._

"_Yes, sir." Ryo told him. "We were cornered by the people, and I was praying for some miracle to get us out of there."_

"_Oh, don't tell me you can wish things to come true." G snorted._

"_Of course not." Ryo told him. "The more logical thing is that we can time-travel."_

"_But we can't." Ayame turned to her brother. "Can we?"_

"_I'm not sure." He told her._

"_Alright," Primo stopped the conversation from proceeding any further. "Why were you running from them?"_

"_You mean you don't know us?" Ryo asked, a little shocked._

"_What, are we supposed to know you?" All the Guardians gazed at them curiously._

"_Ryo..." Ayame tugged her brother's sleeve. "If we actually time-travelled... Does this mean we're not in our time?"_

"_That's right... So that means... We're in the past?" Ryo furrowed his brows._

"_Maybe that's why they don't know us." Ayame told him._

"_Yeah... Maybe..." Ryo sighed and took a gulp of his tea._

"_So... Tell us... Why were they chasing you?" Primo asked again._

"_Ah, you see... In our times, we're very powerful... We're the last remnants of what they call a 'curse'. That's why they were trying to get rid of us." Ryo explained in one breath._

"_I see." Primo said. "Well, do you have any idea how to get back to your time then?"_

"_We're not sure," Ryo told him._

"_But if it's as Ryo says," Ayame pondered. "Then all we have to do is to pray and get ourselves back to the future."_

"_Yeah, that should be it." Ryo nodded._

_Primo smiled at them. "Well, I'll let you two stay for a few days and we'll see if you can do it."_

"_Alright." Ryo told him. "Thank you."_

_

* * *

_

It had been three days since they stayed there. Ayame was waiting for Primo to return. They had started dating just yesterday. Ayame bit her lip as she turned her closed gaze upwards to the sky.

"_You don't belong with him." A quiet, cool voice spoke out of the shadows._

_Startled, Ayame turned to face the voice of the mysterious man, so strange, but familiar at the same time._

"_What do you want?" She questioned him, knowing who it was from his voice._

_The man stepped closer._

"_What are you doing?" She asked again when she felt his strong hands on her face, cupping her cheeks._

"_What do you want?" She demanded._

"_... You."_

* * *

Ayame flinched and jolted awake. _Why did I have that dream again? _Panting, she got up off her cushions and plodded down the stairs.

The words from her dream echoed in her mind. His voice – sweet like a temptation – kept repeating.

_You don't belong with him._

Ayame shook her head fiercely, trying to get him out of her mind.

_You._

"What's wrong, baby sister?" Ryo questioned, sitting upright on the couch.

Her agonized gaze told him of her nightmare.

"Ah. It's alright." Ryo jumped off the couch and opened his arms for her.

She vaulted into them and started crying, the sobs racking her body.

"It's alright now... There, there... It's okay..." Ryo patted her back as she quivered.

_She was definitely not over it._

Tsuna let out a loud snort when Ayame entered his room. Following the loud sound, she looked towards Tsuna's bed, only to be greeted by darkness. She could only imagine the boy sleeping with his arms flung over his head and his legs at weird angles.

Smiling to herself, Ayame strode over to where her cushions were and curled up into a ball, falling asleep.

* * *

"... Ayame-chan. Ayame-chan." Someone nudged the sleeping female.

"Nnn..." She stirred before she slowly got up, her dark vision blurring into shape. _Ryo's probably in the room. _

She slowly got up and saw Tsuna's face hovering over her.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"About 15 more minutes before the school bell goes." Ryo told her.

"Why are you wearing your skull eye patch?" She questioned her brother.

"Felt like it," Ryo shrugged. The patch was black, with a white cartoon skull on it. He was able to open the eye it was covering due to the flimsy material, but if he shut the other uncovered eye, his sight would be greeted with darkness.

Ayame leered at him through her closed eyes. Ryo just chuckled.

"Well, let's get going then." Ayame said, walking out of the door.

"Ah, Ayame-chan." Tsuna's mother smiled up at the female when she caught sight of her.

Two grilled cheese sandwiches were pushed into Ayame's face.

"Oh~" She exclaimed, taking them from her, locating them through her vision in Ryo's one-eyed gaze. "For me? Thank you so much!"

"No problem, run along now. And be safe~"

Tsuna and Ryo left with Ayame trailing behind them, nibbling on her grilled cheese sandwiches.

Tsuna glanced backwards at the female munching on her sandwiches.

"Is it just me or does Ayame seem out-of-sorts?" Tsuna asked Ryo.

Ryo just flashed a grin at him and continued walking. Tsuna looked back to the female again.

* * *

Ayame had finished both sandwiches and was now walking like she was an acrobat on a tight rope, placing one foot directly in front of the other in a straight line. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she looked down at the ground with her eyes closed, brows furrowed in concentration.

Tsuna looked back at Ryo; who was walking even faster than before.

_I'm missing something here..._

* * *

Ayame was quiet throughout the whole day of school, gazing out the window with the tip of her pencil pushing into her bottom lip.

There was an empty air around her today. To the people who lived daily normal, mundane lives, she just seemed a little 'withdrawn'. It could've been the weather, or the teachers, or maybe the stress of school life that caught up with her and made her like this today. They brushed it off as stress. They didn't make a big deal out of it.

But Ayame knew exactly what they were thinking. They were thinking that she was being a 'superstar'. Ever since the first day of school, she had been popular. This kind of 'superstar' behaviour – not talking to people, not addressing people, not even looking at people – was bound to happen.

Although they didn't know how wrong they were, Ayame let them be. She knew they couldn't do anything, anyhow. This was her pad. This was her territory. And the hell if she was going to let some uptight, sadistic, biting-obsessed Cloud Guardian get to her head.

She sighed as she strolled through the corridor. Ryo was with Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto, all four males trailing behind her.

Ayame was heading listlessly off to somewhere – although she didn't know where.

"So, Ryo, tell me something," Yamamoto's statement was more of a question.

"Hmm? Sure," Ryo agreed, smiling. His crimson eyes flashed.

"Why are you wearing that?" Yamamoto pointed to his eye-patch.

"Felt like it," Ryo shrugged.

"Hibari's going to give you Hell for that thing. It doesn't abide by the school rules." Yamamoto informed Ryo.

* * *

Just then, as they rounded the corner, they almost bumped into someone.

"Speak of the Devil," Yamamoto stage-whispered.

Ryo grinned heartily in reply.

"What are you wearing, Akanke?" Hibari barked at him. "Take it off right now if you know what's good for you."

With that said, he strode past all of them – including the female he had just kissed the day before.

_Is he trying to act like nothing happened? _Ayame's thoughts were disrupted; chaotic.

Ryo sidled up next to her, "Are you alright, baby sister?" He whispered into her ear so as to not startle her.

"I'm fine..." She replied immediately, letting him know she was not.

"Do you want to take the rest of the day off?" Ryo questioned, worry and concern lining his crimson eyes. He threw a glance over his shoulder at the retreating silhouette of the Cloud Guardian.

"... Nah." Ayame threw a closed-eyed glance over her shoulder at her brother.

"You don't have to stay on if you can't." Ryo told her in a low voice so that the three males behind wouldn't hear.

"I'll go when I really can't handle it," Ayame whispered back to him. "I'll be okay."

The crack in her voice suggested that she was maybe not so 'okay' as she casually whispered.

Ryo untied his eye patch and pulled it over one of his sister's closed eyes.

The silk comforted her, along with his scent that lingered on the cloth.

"... Thank you." She whispered to him. She knew it was a way of his to comfort her without words.

Ryo lifted a hand and touched his index finger to her forehead.

"I'll give you one of my eyes to use for the rest of the day," He whispered to her.

The darkness her eyes held suddenly faded to light.

"... Thanks." She whispered to him again and began to walk.

This wasn't the first time Ryo lent her one of his eyes. Ever since she went blind, and he realized she could 'borrow' one of his eyes, he used it whenever she was caught in something that rattled her self-confidence so hard that she could not stand up by herself.

* * *

She stalked angrily through the hallways, bothered by how Hibari affected her with just one teensy weensy kiss - studying her timetable with her brother's 'borrowed' eye.

_Next is P.E., huh? _She looked at the time slots for each subject. _I feel like skipping..._

Before she knew it, her feet were stepping forward – leading the way.

She rounded the corner and reached a staircase she became so associated with – the stairs leading to the roof. And on the roof, of course – was Hibari.

Her steps slowed as her mind registered the fact. Did she really want to see Hibari that much?

_Yes, _a tiny voice whispered inside of her. _You do._

_I do not, _Ayame made her feet backtrack – trying to walk back to class. _Besides, he shouldn't be there. He walked past us just now, headed for that room._

No matter how she persuaded her conscience, her feet continued on their merry way towards and up the stairs.

_Damn it, stop- Stop I say! Stop! _She hissed to her legs mentally, trying to stop them from carrying her up any further on the steps.

Gripping the railing so tight till her knuckles turned white, a bead of sweat trickled down her temple. As tempted as she was to wipe it away, she knew if she let go of the confounded railing now, her legs would probably run to the roof.

_Why does he make me feel this damn way?_

* * *

Hibari was sleeping on the roof as usual.

"Midori tanabiku namimori no  
Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii  
Itsumo kawaranu  
Sukoyaka kenage  
Aah, tomo ni utaou  
Namimori chuu~"

A tiny yellow flying chick appeared. Hibari, with his eyes closed, merely lay there, although he was awake now.

Slowly, he opened one eye, his misty blue-grey eye looking at the tiny bird on his chest.

"Hibari, Hibari!" Hibird chirped.

"... Hn." Hibari grunted.

"Hibari! Hibari!" Hibird flapped his tiny wings like something was the matter.

His other eye opened.

"What time is it?" He questioned the chick on his chest.

"Hibari!" Hibird chirped in reply. "Hibari!"

Hibari got up and pulled on his jacket around his shoulders, not putting his arms through the sleeves.

Sitting there, he stared through the wire mesh in front of him, at the blue sky. The sun was covered by a fluffy cloud.

He sat there, staring, staring at the clouds as they passed. He _was _going to the Resource room to sleep; but something was nagging at him to stay. Just for a little while.

He didn't know how long he sat there. He just sat, and sat.

The school bell chimed throughout the whole campus, each ring louder than the previous.

He didn't have to wait very long. The door leading to the roof swung open, letting out a loud creak.

Hibari turned to stare at the intruder, _was this what I was waiting for?_

Ayame stood there, one of her eyes covered with her brother's skull eye patch. The exposed iris was closed, staring at him.

Hibari got up and let out a huge sigh. "Really... First I told your brother to remove that eye patch, and now I have to tell you, Akanke?"

Ayame remained standing there.

Hibari moved towards her – taking slow, deliberate steps. Ayame backed away from his advances.

One step forward for him; one step backwards for her.

It was like a slow dance at a wedding party on a nice cool summer's day. Forward, backward, forward, backward...

Ayame knew he was getting the better of her, and she knew he knew that as well.

A smirk teased with the corners of Hibari's straight mouth, threatening to spoil his predatory aura.

Ayame's back closed in onto a wall and with the cool feel of cement behind, she knew she was trapped.

Especially so if Hibari's arms held her into place as he placed one arm on each side of her head.

"... Are you going to take that eye patch off, Akanke?" He whispered, his breath – smelling strongly of mint – hit her face.

She gulped; this was like that time. Exactly like that time, with _him._

A bead of sweat rolled down her temple, and she saw Hibari's eyes lock onto it as it continued its merry journey down her temple to her jaw line, and down to her neck.

When the bead of sweat disappeared under the collar of her uniform, his eyes slid back up to her face.

His face was unreadable; and for the second time in her life, Ayame felt that heart-gripping panic. The first had been when those men had been chasing her and Ryo.

She felt his fingers slip beneath the silk, slowly pulling it down her face. Her eyebrows knotted together, she didn't understand him at all. These sudden, spur-of-the-moment stuff he did, it confused her. She didn't know what to think, much less predict.

The silk slid past her nose, over her mouth and the whole thing fell to her neck.

"Are you going to take it off?" Hibari's voice was low and husky now.

She gulped again. She sensed him slowly leaning down, nearing her nose – sliding down, down to her lips, breathing slowly, softly on them.

A slight shiver ran up her spine and her palms tingled.

He breathed out on her lips before he pulled back, Ryo's eye patch in his hand.

"I'll be confiscating this, since it doesn't match with the school rules." Hibari told her, misty eyes unreadable.

He then left her alone up on the roof, shaken, not only by what just happened, but what happened in the past, that similarly felt like this one.

With him.

* * *

Meh. Ending sucks cos i suck okay D: ? Forgive me. It's like damn stressed nowadays, so it's kinda hard to cope. But i have to. For the sake of my puppy. 6 A1S FOR MY PUPPY ! ROAR!

Note #1: Blind people CAN cry, unless something in their eye got affected. I RESEARCHED THIS OKAY D: ?  
Note #2: DON'T COMMENT TO ME WHY AYAME COULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE IN THE PAST CHAPTERS WHEN RYO WASN'T THERE. IT'S BECAUSE, SHE CAN'T SEE ONLY IF RYO IS TOO FAR AWAY. OKAYYYYY D: ? SO DON'T COMMENT TO ME ABOUT THAT. AND PLUS, THE EARLIER CHAPTERS DIDN'T DELVE THIS DEEP INTO THEIR PAST BEFORE, SO THIS FACT IS A LITTLE DEEP FOR THEM O.O .  
Note #3: THE ENDING SUCKS, I KNOWWW. FORGIVE ME PLEASE.  
Notet #4: Chapter 6 will be out when I finish it = may take some time = may take alot of time = long wait = i'm sorry = you have to wait. So, sorry ):

Anyway, on to reviews shall we?

**Lilth Vaan: What an odd way of distracting her, Hibari. lol But effective. Poor Yama. That sucks to have someone you know going insane over your blood. (shudders) The horror. Awesome chapter!... again. lol ^^ This chapter is a twist! A good one!**

_I know, right D: ? Here's the next chapter, sorry abotu the suckish ending, enjoy ^^ !_

**Everlasting-Echo: Dear whispermy-serenade, Yay, new chapter! Holy crap Hibari kissed her, now that's just exciting. Still like the story, but I'm gonna criticize you on one thing, sorry. I really like the story line that has been shown so far, but I think you just make your character's a bit too perfect and ferocious at certain things. Ayame and Ryo are really cool and everything except for that and I still love your story, but I thought I would tell you my opinion. Oh yeah! I agree with Trollzaya on bringing the Varia in just because they are awesome and Belphegor and Fran/Flan(whatever I don't know) are like the coolest! Next to Hibari of course, ha-ha. Anyways~, after all that I can't wait 'till you update again. Sincerely, Everlasting-Echo shi-shi-shi~**

_Hello! Uhh yeah, so after reading your review, the idea for this chapter popped into my head(: This is for you! Hmm, do you think I should bring Fran into my story Worth as well? Tell me what you think ^^ , and enjoy!_

**Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara: When they were summoning their box weapons, it reminded me of Pokemon! XD **

_Ahh, pokemon! The motherbirth of all other monster ideas(: _

**Lilth Vaan: It's okay. Just take your time, and work on the current and future chapters piece by piece. All will be cool, just enjoy your time and DO NOT FORGET ABOUT US, PERSON!**

_Hello! Thanks, and sorry for the long wait! I WON'T EVER FORGET MY FANS, DON'T YOU GUYS WORRY D: ! I still remember my Igarashi Tora fans(: And also, I'd like to point out, I'm a half-demon so I'm technically not a person :D . Here's the nexy chapter, enjoy ^^ !_

**ENJOYYYYYYYYYYY. OR I SHALL. GO TO YOUR HOUSE AND BURNNNNNNNNNNNNN. YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP WHEN I HAVE TIMEEEEEEEEEEEE. *RUNS AROUND WILDLY TRYING TO FIND MY MATHS BOOK* ! -offs computer and runs away-**


	6. Chapter 6

**DA Chapter 6  
**

* * *

_Review Replies:_

**kibafreak: **Thanks for your support ! I appreciate it ~ Yeah it's really stressful =w= ~

**Trollzaya: **I'm glad you enjoy my story so much ! Hmm , I have a plan that someone might ~~ Kyo hmm ? I have no idea who to pair with him 3: ! As for updating , please read the notice later (:

**SilverNeira: **I will continue , when I get back from my exams (:

**Moonstar66: **Sorry about the lack of updates . It's just that my major exams are around the corner and I have to study .

**NOTICE: PLEASE READ THIS.  
- I will NOT be updating until I return from my major exams , which would be around mid-November . I am also going overseas during December . But don't fret , I'll be updating once I come back ! So please my dear readers , be patient and wait for my return ...  
**

* * *

Why did he have to do this? Why did he affect her so? Deep down, Ayame knew the answer herself: He resembled _him._

He resembled _him _so much that Ayame couldn't stand it. She wanted to rip out his head, yet at the same time wanted to kiss him. What was wrong with her? It felt like _that _time. She was breaking apart again, like _that _time with _him._

Growling deeply, she was annoyed by the way Hibari always invaded her thoughts.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A familiar rich voice came.

Whipping around, Ayame leered at the familiar blond through Ryo's borrowed eye.

"Ahh... It's just _you_, Dino-san." She sighed, rubbing her right temple.

"What's with that greeting, huh?" Dino yelled half-jokingly.

"... Nothing, really..." She let out another sigh. She had _got _to get over how Hibari affected her. How else was she supposed to teach the Vongola Guardians this way?

"So what's up? You look like you're pondering something serious." Dino took a seat beside her on the roof. "Ahh, this place brings back a lot of memories... Like my training with Kyoya."

"Ohh yeah, you trained him before, didn't you?" Ayame tilted her head to the side, although her doubt sounded more like a statement. "How did he do in your training?"

"Why are you curious to know- Oh yeah, you guys are training them now..." Dino cleared his throat then continued. "Well, it went okay, I guess... Except he kept wanting to fight, since each of our brawls always ended in a draw."

"Except for that last one before they went to tackle Byakuran, ne?" Ayame pointed out. "That was when you came back looking all scraped as if someone dragged you along a rocky road."

Dino sweatdropped, "Can you not bring that up? I feel less manly now."

"Dino, admit it, you were never manly in the first place." Ayame snorted, accompanied with a sympathizing pat on his back.

"Oh, by the way, I've brought some visitors with me." Dino told her casually as if they were discussing the weather. "Xanxus wanted to know how the Vongola Tenth was doing, so the whole Varia dropped by."

"The _whole _Varia?" Ayame exclaimed. "Xanxus must have gone mad!"

"Not exactly," A deep voice came from behind them.

Turning around, Dino and Ayame saw the Varia standing behind them.

"Ushishishi~ look, it's a girl!" Bel laughed.

"... Idiot." Ayame regarded Bel, ignoring the rest. She leered.

"What did you say?" The whole Varia tensed. Xanxus glared at her – considering his eyes were blood red; it was a rather dangerous-looking leer.

"Meh," was all Ayame grunted.

The roof door then swung open.

"Xanxus!" Gokudera exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

"Wow, what are all of you doing here in Japan?" Yamamoto asked on a more cheery tone.

"He must be here to snatch the Tenth's position again!" Gokudera reached for his boxes immediately.

"Gokudera, calm yourself." Ayame's voice was tinted with danger that made him freeze.

"What's with all the commotion?" Barked a very familiar voice.

Hibari emerged through the crowd. "Why are you all crowding here?"

He leered at the Varia.

"Move. Now."

"Ushishishi~" Bel laughed again, annoying Hibari even more.

"C'mon guys, let's move," Ayame tilted her head to the side. "The roof's getting crowded and you guys know how I feel about crowds."

A hint of danger laced her sweet voice, and without a mutter of protest, all of them headed down to the hall.

Since it was much more spacious, Hibari and Ayame were much more at ease.

"Alright, Dino..." Ayame turned to the blond. "What are these-" She turned to glare at the Varia. "People doing here?"

Of course, Ayame only knew the Varia in name only. She knew the names of all the members: Xanxus, their leader; Superbia Squalo, their Rain Guardian; Lussuria, their Sun Guardian; Belphegor, their Storm Guardian; Leviathan, their Lightning Guardian and Fran, their Mist Guardian.

Judging by their appearances, Ayame could make out who was who physically. She had seen all their pictures before as well – so that helped too.

"Ahh, they wanted to come see who Tsuna and the others were doing." Dino smiled cheerfully.

Ayame pulled her kantana out from its sheath, and pointed it at the Varia.

"You interrupt our training," She began venomously, "And I'll slice you into itty bitty pieces."

"Oh really?" Xanxus sounded amused for once. "You, who fight with eyes closed, can do that?"

In a flash Ryo was behind Xanxus, his pole at Xanxus's throat.

"Do you have anything to add to that?" Ryo asked in a low and dangerous tone.

"... Ryo." Ayame called his name.

Ryo turned to regard his sister, "... Fine."

He somersaulted away from Xanxus and landed beside his sister perfectly on his two feet.

"So what are we doing today?" Tsuna asked, trying to shake off the bad feeling he was getting.

"More training, duh." Ryo grinned, rolling his eyes. "Today we'll do one-on-one combat, to improve your close combat skills."

"So who wants to go first?" Ayame tilted her head to the side at the group.

None of them answered, a little afraid of her still.

"Chrome." Ayame called the Mist Guardian.

"A-Ah, okay." Chrome stepped forward, clutching the trident to her chest.

"Close combat is easy," Ayame tilted her head to the left before tilting it back up straight. Through closed eyes, Ayame regarded her stance. _Nervous, afraid and trying to figure out my moves. _Ayame let a telling grin slip onto her face.

"Always, always keep a keen eye on your opponent," Ayame stated, stepping forward before charging.

Chrome barely managed to bring up her trident to clash with Ayame's kantana.

"Always try to predict where they are trying to strike."

Ayame swung left this time, hitting Chrome backwards. Chrome quickly got up onto her feet.

"Hmm, good, you know how to react very quickly. That's brilliant. Which brings me to the next point-"Ayame moved quickly again and was behind Chrome in an instant. "Always be ready for the unexpected – don't let your opponent get behind you."

Chrome managed to defend herself from Ayame's fierce swings.

Then, Ayame managed to make her fly backwards again. Chrome hit the ground and hurriedly got up again.

Ayame charged forward again and swung – Chrome lifted her trident in defence.

_Mukuro-sama!_

A flash occurred and Ayame jumped back with a 'tch'.

Mukuro slowly stood up, "My, my. It seems my sweet little Chrome couldn't take it any longer."

Ayame stared at him, "Mukuro."

"Ah? Oh, it's Ayame." Mukuro smiled at her. "Oya?"

Mukuro leapt away just as Hibari swung his tonfa.

"Enthusiastic, as usual." Mukuro laughed. "Kufufufu~"

Hibari swung again.

"Clang!" Metal hit metal. Ayame stood inbetween the two males.

"That's enough, Hibari." Her voice was cold. "Back off."

Hibari narrowed his eyes into a glare. "You dare tell me what to do-"

He was cut off by Ayame, "This is _my _battle. You have no right to cut in."

She turned her closed gaze on him; daring him to challenge her further.

With a growl, Hibari backed off. Ayame turned back to Mukuro.

"You can leave, Mukuro. I'm done assessing Chrome's physical abilities."

"Kufufufu~ alright." Mukuro left; and Chrome fell to her knees, exhausted.

"Chrome, you can step back now." Ayame informed her.

"O-Okay." Chrome slowly got up, using her trident for support.

Tsuna helped her go back to the sidelines.

Ayame looked over the line of guardians. She had fought with Yamamoto before; as well as with Tsuna and Gokudera. Hibari as well. Chrome was done. She was left with Ryohei and Lambo.

"Ryo, you take over." Ayame walked to stand beside the rest of them.

"... Alright." Ryo stepped forward into the line. "Who wants to fight me, hmm?"

Nobody answered, because technically, they all thought Ryo was, well, weak.

"..." Ayame scoured the line of guardians.

"Ushishishi~" Bel laughed. "Can we fight?"

"Yeah, it's been long since I fought!" Squalo yelled. "VOI! I'll battle you!"

"Me?" Ryo questioned. "Or her?" He waved towards Ayame's direction.

"I'm a swordsman, I will fight a swordsman!"

Ryo smirked, "Fine."

He stepped out of the line, "Go win, baby sister."

Ayame returned his smirk.

She stepped back into the line and cracked her knuckles. Pulling her kantana out of its sheath, she pointed it at Squalo.

"You're going down," She smirked.

"VOI, you are!" Squalo screamed back.

"Ready," Ryo paused for a long moment. "Go!"

They charged at each other and in the middle their swords met. With that first contact, they started their dance. Stab, miss, swing, miss, stab, stab swing, miss.

Avoiding each other's stabs and swings and swinging inbetween, they were doing a dance of swords.

Clashes sounded every second; both trying to deflect the other.

Squalo thrust his sword forward in a stab – Ayame somersaulted over it and swung her sword down.

Squalo raised his and their swords met again with another loud clash.

The Varia was looking on quite keenly.

Another clash sounded again as they swung again and again, neither hitting the other.

"Squalo," Bel called from the sidelines. "C'mon, why are you being such a sissy fighter today? Fight properly already, ushishishi~"

"VOI!" Squalo screamed. "You'll pay! I'm not a sissy!"

"Shouldn't you pay attention to the fight," Ayame sneered. "Mr. Swordsman?"

With a swing of her kantana, Squalo was deflected backwards. With a flip he landed perfectly on his feet; although there was a scratch on his face – due to the contact with her blade.

Licking the blood off the sharp edge, Ayame continued smirking.

"Really now," She sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if that position of king of swordsman you're holding or something is fake."

"VOI! I am the best swordsman!" Squalo all but screamed with blood still trickling from the cut.

"Didn't Yamamoto defeat you? Tsk," Ayame taunted him.

Squalo charged forward with all his might. With a loud clash, their blades met once again.

"I'll defeat you!" Squalo screamed with anger.

Ayame planted one finger in her ear and sighed, "Can't you just shut up for once? Your girlish shrieks are grating my ears."

The Varia members' eyes widened. It was the first time Squalo's opponent had dared to rear up against him; and to spout such vile words for a girl, it was unseemly.

"W-What?" Squalo's irises widened, and he flushed. "You!"

Ayame slid her eyes open – and the Varia gasped.

"Her eyes- They're white?"

Tilting her head to the side, she let a funny grin slip onto her face.

"I'll make you shut up, then."

She charged forward; Squalo brought up his blade to defend himself. Out of the blue, she appeared behind him and kicked him.

He landed hard on the ground; but quickly turned himself onto his back and managed to block her blade just in time.

He deflected her away and leapt to his feet quickly. He charged.

She smirked and with a swing; their blades met again. Quickly, she leapt back before charging forward and swinging her blade.

Managing to block it in some way; Squalo was trying very hard to keep up with her speed.

_How does she move so fast?_

Squalo swung – She somersaulted out of his way. The next second; her blade was against his and the two battling swords were nearing his face.

He used all his strength and managed to deflect her away. She somersaulted and landed on one foot and knee.

The next moment she had gotten up and charged at him again; thrusting her sword toward in a stab.

He dodged and swung; and she blocked. So far, he hadn't managed to hit her once.

She swung again – and Squalo got cut on his arm.

"Ryo, I have a question..." Tsuna started.

"Hmm? What is it, Tsunayoshi?" Ryo regarded the boy with crimson eyes.

"If Ayame went crazy over Yamamoto's blood," Tsuna pondered. "Why doesn't she get frenzied over Squalo's blood?"

"Hmm, I think it's because Yamamoto's part of the Vongola family." Ryo replied.

"But the Varia is counted as part of the Vongola family," Yamamoto pointed out.

"Yeah," They all agreed.

"It should probably be because Ayame has never smelled their blood before," Ryo thought for a little while for a simpler way to put it. "Their blood is foreign to her, so she doesn't recognise the smell."

"So she doesn't go crazy?" Gokudera asked, curious.

"Yes," Ryo replied. "All of your blood closely resembles the first generations, so it's awfully familiar to her. Thus, it makes her go crazy whenever she smells it."

"Hmm..." They all pondered over that.

"But didn't you say that time that she may be this way due to those men chasing you guys down?" Tsuna questioned.

"Yes, I did say that," Ryo replied. "That was what we originally thought, but as you just pointed out, she doesn't go crazy over the Varia's blood. So it means, maybe, that their blood is foreign to her."

"You guys are weird." Gokudera stated the obvious. "And confusing."

"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment," Ryo winked, and Chrome blushed on seeing it.

They turned their attention back to the battle.

Swinging his sword with a fierce yell, Squalo missed and got kicked square in the chest.

"She's getting serious," Ryo noted.

Moving even swifter than before; Ayame was all around Squalo – kicking, punching, swinging, and stabbing.

Shocked, Squalo could do nothing as her blade got caught in his shirt – and she flung him into the opposite wall. There was a loud sound produced as he hit the wall.

"Ya give up?" Ayame's voice was low, husky and panting. She had adopted a Mexican-style of talking, somehow.

Her snow-white orbs slid half close, holding her blade in a relaxed manner, tapping the side of it against her back; she tilted her head and gave a smug smirk.

"N-Never!" Squalo screamed after spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"I suggest you do," She straightened her head before swinging her blade in front of her so it pointed at him.

Xanxus stepped between them, "Alright, break it up. Levi."

The Thunder ring bearer walked over to Squalo who was sprawled on the floor and bleeding.

"Time to go," He muttered, scooping Squalo off the floor.

"I thank you for your time taken to battle that idiot," Xanxus regarded Ayame. "But we shall take our leave before that idiot gets any more injured and is unable to do his mission in near future. Good day."

Ayame slid her eyes close into her normal smiley-faced expression again.

"See ya, Xanxus!" She waved; a slight smile on her face. "It was fun while it lasted~"

Squalo let out a half-grumble half-scream of both pain as well as protest.

"Bye Squalo~"

Tsuna sweatdropped as Ayame waved enthusiastically at the Varia.

"Ushishishi~ she's so interesting~" Bel laughed through his teeth. Squalo growled at him, clearly not agreeing with his opinion.

"Mmm," Ayame stretched while standing. "Well, there's nothing much left to do."

"Well, I've got a few errands to run around the town," Dino began.

"I'll do it~" Ayame sang, springing up from her stretch.

"C'mon Ryo, let's go!" Ayame vaulted into the air and landed next to the hall's door.

"Bye Tsuna, see ya guys later~"

Ryo gave a wave as they left.

"..." The group stared after them.

"... So what do we do now?" Gokudera asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets gruffly.

"How about we go to my dad's store for sushi?" Yamamoto suggested.

"Alright, let's go!" The group cheered.

* * *

Ayame, Ryo and Dino raced through the streets. Jumping from roof to roof, Ayame had a clear aerial vision of the streets of Namimori.

"Are you sure you saw them?" Ayame asked Dino without even glancing at him.

"Yes, I'm certain it was them. Only she has that kind of strawberry blond hair." Dino answered.

"Where are your men, Dino?" Ryo questioned.

"Uh... Somewhere nearby, I guess?" Dino sweatdropped.

Ayame smirked, "Don't tell me you're going to trip over your own feet and fall."

"S-Shut up!" Dino yelled, a little embarrassed.

"... On all the days to show up, she chooses today." Ryo sighed.

"Meh, we'll take her down and head back home." Ayame's smirked widened.

Unbeknownst to the two greatest curses in the world, Hibari Kyoya was hot on their trail.

_Who are they talking about? _Hibari thought as he hid behind the corner. His misty eyes following the trio, he made sure to be extremely quiet. Since Ayame was blind, her other senses were heightened to help in her existence. Besides that, she was strong, he had to admit. Really strong.

Hibari wondered who they were talking about. Was this girl one of Ayame's friends? Or maybe her enemy?

* * *

He noticed something dart away from the corner of his eyes, and instantly followed it, thinking it a threat to Namimori.

A flash of strawberry blond went around the corner, and Hibari chased it. Just as he rounded the corner, he met a sharp blade.

"Don't move," A girl's voice threatened.

Hibari's eyes narrowed; nobody _ever _controlled him. Within a second he had whipped his tonfas out and was beating the steel bars against the sword's blade.

Flipping the blade, his opponent managed to deflect him away. Just as she charged at him; another sword appeared, making a loud clash sound.

"... Found ya," Ayame stood in front of Hibari, back facing him.

"...Tch," The girl jumped back.

"What are you doing here?" Ayame leered with her eyes closed.

"... To destroy you, like Boss ordered." The girl shot back.

"... You won't succeed," Ayame informed her.

"I will! For the boss, I'll do anything!"

"... Humph, pathetic," Ayame turned to regard the male behind her. "Hibari Kyoya, what are you doing here?"

"... I was following you guys." Hibari admitted. "Who's she?" He pointed to the girl..

"Hey, I have a name you know," The girl scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Her name is not of importance," Ayame told him.

"If she brings any harm to Namimori, I'll bite her to death." Hibari informed the female.

A smirk slid onto Ayame's face, "I'd like to see you try."

Hibari glared, "I don't try, herbivore, I do."

"I'm not a herbivore, in case you didn't get that in our first fight." Ayame informed him.

"There is no way I'm calling you a carnivore. There can only be one carnivore." Hibari snorted.

"Oh, really?" Ayame smiled. "I guess I'll have to take that position from you someday."

"Uh, hello?" The girl yelled. "I'm still here, you know?"

Ryo appeared behind her, and she collapsed as his pole hit the back of her head.

"Weak, as usual," He sighed as he picked her body off the ground.

"Where are the rest of them?" Ayame asked him.

He shrugged in reply, "how would I know?"

Ayame sighed, and turned to leave, "You should get back to the others, Hibari. They may be in danger."

"Nobody tells me what to do," Hibari told her.

"I know," She smirked. "I was just saying."

"... Hn." Hibari turned and left for the sushi shop.

* * *

Ayame watched him as he left, her closed gaze intense. Hibari rounded the corner, and Ayame tore her eyes off the corner just enough to catch her brother staring at her with equal intensity.

"W-what?" She questioned, averting her gaze from Ryo's scrutiny.

Ryo just smiled, and shook his head. "Shall we go?"

Ayame stared at the female in his arms, "Don't we have to dump that rubbish first?"

Ryo tossed the female into a nearby dumpster and walked away with his sister.

"You know," He started, "Even if her name is close to rubbish, she was still one of our friends."

"Betrayal is what ruins trust, Ryo," Ayame told him.

"But of course," Ryo whispered under his breath as they continued on their way.

* * *

Hibari lifted the sushi shop's curtain to be greeted by the sight of Kyoko, Haru and Lambo with Tsuna, Haru hugging Tsuna tightly, with Gokudera yelling at her. Ryohei, Reborn, I-Pin and Bianchi sat near them. Yamamoto was working with his dad to serve them. Chrome wasn't here.

The Cloud Guardian growled at the noise, but nevertheless spent the next half an hour trying to figure out what his feelings toward Ayame was over sushi. He of course, couldn't seek for any of the other Guardians' help – that would make him seem weak.

Although, he doubted that any of them would have had romantic exposure before, and asking such questions would thus confuse them, and Hibari disliked having to deal with unknowledgeable herbivores.

He paid for his meal, then left, wondering what Ayame Akanke was doing with that blond girl. _Who was she? Why was she after Ayame and Ryo Akanke? _Questions swirled in his head, and he hated it, being so fogged with thoughts.

Why, just what was the damn reason, for Akanke to be affecting him so? Who exactly was she? What exactly was she? She was strong, that was for sure. For whom she was, Hibari, the always-confident skylark, for once, was unsure.

* * *

Ayame stared into the night sky. 'Although the distance between us is far apart, I am comforted by the fact that you are still with me under the same sky'. Was that how the quote went? She smacked herself on the forehead. What was she thinking?

Ryo glanced at his sister. She was worried, troubled and he could tell, of course. He knew the feeling of love; after all, he had had many admirers. Though, of course, those admirers were just filled with lust for him. Despite that, he tried to be sweet to them, to turn them away from those tracks of passion. They didn't understand. He dumped them, then.

* * *

"U-umm," Tsuna started, whispering to the others at the table. "G-Gokudera-kun, get Yamamoto and Ryohei, I want to talk to all of you..."

"Of course, Tenth!" Gokudera saluted before going on his short mission.

However, instead of walking over to the counter and asking Yamamoto to meet then, Gokudera simply stood up and yelled at the top of his voice to the Rain Guardian, "Oi, baseball-freak! Tenth wants to see you!"

Tsuna immediately sweatdropped, and glanced nervously at Hibari, after all, he wanted to discuss about the mystery-embedded skylark. Ryohei was dragged by Gokudera to the end booth, and Tsuna followed, sliding on the wood seat.

Wiping his hands, Yamamoto joined the group then, earning a complaint from the silvernette about being so slow.

"What's up, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, a carefree grin on his face.

"I-it's about Hibari-san..." Tsuna dropped his voice to a pitch barely audible since it was barely above a whisper.

"Tch," Gokudera's lips twitched, "What about him?" Unlike Tsuna, he didn't really lower his volume.

Tsuna almost leapt over the table to clamp his hands over the silvernette's mouth, "Shhh, Gokudera-kun, he'll hear you!"

Gokudera mumbled something, and Tsuna went back to his original sitting position and clutched at the ends of his shirt nervously.

"D-doesn't Hibari-san seem to be behaving a little weirdly lately?" Tsuna fired the question before he caved in to her nerves.

Furrowing his eyebrows into a look of confusion, Gokudera stared at Tsuna, "What makes you think that, Tenth?"

"Hibari's been quiet lately..." Tsuna whispered to them.

Gokudera snorted at this, "he's always quiet, Tenth."

Laughing at this, Yamamoto agreed. Ryohei also agreed with the silvernette's statement, although his agreement was, as usual, to the extreme.

Tsuna stared at them for awhile, "No, no, he seems more quiet than usual."

_Does that even make sense? _Tsuna scolded himself in his mind.

"Hmm," Gokudera put his hand to his chin in deep thought, "I think you're right, Tenth."

"I think so too," Yamamoto agreed in his carefree manner.

Ryohei also agreed, although Gokudera clamped his mouth before the Sun Guardian boisterously yelled out 'to the extreme' again.

* * *

Hibari finished his food, paid and then stood up to leave.

"U-umm, H-Hibari-san!" Tsuna stopped the Cloud Guardian.

Without turning, Hibari addressed Tsuna with an "hm".

"U-umm, if you have any problems, y-you can come and talk to us..." Tsuna clutched the edges of his shirt nervously again.

Hibari then turned away and left.

_Who would ask you for help in these kinds of things?_

* * *

He walked down the streets alone, eyes closed as he strolled, the map of Namimori, every crook and cranny etched inside of his mind. He would know his way even if he was blind.

It just so happened that he was walking past the street when he was stalking – no, not stalking, just following, he assured himself – and noticed something in the dumpster.

He walked over, and peered into the dumpster, tonfas ready to defend from any possible assault. _It's the girl from before, _he thought, _the girl that was after Akanke._

Unexpectedly, he lifted the girl out of the dumpster. Not for the reasons that people would expect, though. Hibari simply wanted answers from the girl, of why she was hunting down the Akanke twins.

He finally got home after carrying such a heavy girl for a long distance He dumped her on the sofa in an ungentle manner and went to brew some tea to drink.

* * *

Around half an hour later, the girl came awake.

"Who are you and why are you after Akanke?" Hibari fired his questions as soon as the girl sat up.

"Whoa there," The girl began. "That's way too fast, Hottie."

Leering dangerously at the nickname, Hibari set down his tea.

"Who are you," He started, slower as if he was talking to a person with an intellect lower than a bird's. "And why are you after Akanke?"

"Sorry," The girl snorted like a snob. "But I'll only tell you under strict circumstances."

"And what are those 'circumstances'?" Hibari wasted no time in doubting and fired the question with a slight growl.

"You'll have to pay me for each question." She smirked.

Hibari glared, "Whatever, herbivore."

"... with a kiss," She continued, winking at him in a way she thought was cute, but was just plain disgusting to Hibari.

A stony silence ensued for a few moments. Then, Hibari spoke.

"I'll bite you to death."

The blonde's eyes widened as she saw a flash of silver, before her vision blacked out from the tonfa that hit the side of her head. Indeed, the Vongola Cloud Guardian was merciless.

* * *

After he was done biting the girl to death, his phone rang. Namimori Middle's school anthem blared throughout the room.

"... Hello?" Hibari narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar number.

"... Kyoya," A very familiar voice greeted him. "I suggest you rid of that rubbish you just bit to death."

"... Akanke," Hibari growled, gripping the phone tighter. "How do you know that?"

"I have spies all over Namimori," was her simple reply.

"... Tch."

Hibari hung up with a loud growl. After all, he disliked being told what to do the most, other than being controlled. However, he did not want a collapsed, weak herbivore that almost died just from a few hits in his house. He hoisted her up on his shoulder, and strolled over to the window.

Opening it as wide as it could so it would accommodate a body; he lifted the girl again, and simply tossed her out of the window. Without even looking, he knew she was in a dumpster below the apartment block.

Unperturbed, he slid the window close and brush imaginary dust and dirt off his hands. He turned and left the kitchen, headed for the living room.

* * *

There, another window was open to let the fresh air in. Just then, a figure was outside, on the large oak tree. Peering closer, Hibari realized it was Ayame.

She came in through the window stealthily like a spy. He just stared at her weird, albeit crazy antics. Once she was standing in his living room, she brushed herself down and then stared him in the eye with her eyes closed, as usual.

An awkward but deep silence filled the spaces between them. His beautiful blue-grey eyes on her closed ones, and he shifted his gaze down slowly to take in her appearance, all the while wondering how the hell she got in through the window.

Dressed in a simple sailor-like shirt and matching shorts, Ayame looked like a kid. Although, Hibari had to admit for the second time, she was a strong kid.

He stared at her again. Just then, a tiny yellow chick flew in through the same window.

"Midori tanabiku~ Namimori no~" It sang as it flapped its tiny wings.

Landing on Hibari's shoulder, the bird stop singing and blinked at Ayame.

"Hibari! Hibari!" The bird chirped, flapping its wings wildly for the duration it said the Cloud Guardian's name.

Silence filled the room again. The Guardians stared each other down. Finally, Hibari broke the silence.

"... What do you want, Akanke?" His voice sounded through the silence, slicing it like a knife.

She turned her closed gaze from the tiny chick sitting on his shoulder to his beautiful blue-grey eyes.

"... I want the eye patch back." Her voice was soft, but there was a demanding undertone.

Hibari just stared at her, "Now why would I do that? That accessory is strictly forbidden in Namimori Middle's rules."

"That eye patch is important," Ayame had to stifle her growl of annoyance, perhaps irritation at the Cloud Guardian.

"If you are to talk about importance," Hibari snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Then the school rules are important to me as well. Thus, I will not return you the eye patch."

Narrowing her closed gaze somehow, Ayame glared icily.

"Want to bet for it?" She offered, trying to close the lid on her irritation. "If I manage to make you surprised and drop the eye patch when you are holding it, then I can have it back."

This sparked Hibari's interest. Many of his weak, unfortunate opponents would know Hibari was difficult to surprise. He was after all, the strongest of the Vongola Guardians, albeit his strength was in physical and not so much in the mental department.

However, there was no doubt that Hibari had a steely personality. Aloof, uncaring, that was the cloud, after all.

"Fine," Hibari grunted, uncrossing his arms. "But do it in thirty seconds, or not at all."

Leering, Ayame agreed. Hibari took the eye patch from his jacket pocket and held it in a tight grip. As if sensing the tension in the air, Hibird flapped its wings and flew out of the window again.

"Midori tanabiku~ Namimori no~" it sang as it disappeared into the horizon.

Both of them watched as the bird made a beeline towards the window and continued to observe until the bird could no longer be seen as a black dot in the sky against the orange and pink hued sky.

Once Hibird was no longer in their line of vision, the two turned their gazes on each other. Tension, sharp as a sword's edge, strung high in the air, ringing in their ears and echoing in their heads, as if humming a death tune to them.

They stared each other down once again. Hibari narrowed his eyes, eye patch in a vice grip.

"I'll give you some time to mull over what you will do to get this," He raised the eye patch to tempt her. "Out of my hand so you can have it back. It is important to you, yes?"

On asking that question, his lips slid up into a smirk.

* * *

Drawing one dagger from her left boot, Hibari with one hand clutching the eye patch; took up the right tonfa. Both of them got into their fighting stances, eyeing each other like boxers in a ring.

He leered; she glared. His tonfa was raised like her dagger was, both steel weapons glinting in the setting sun's rays. Both of them waited, like a tiger laying in wait of its unfortunate prey, for the other to make the first move.

Moments passed. Ayame knew he wouldn't make the first move. Almost tentatively, she took a step forward, testing. Immediately, the Cloud Guardian charged at her, tonfas raised.

A loud clang sounded as soon as the steel contraptions met each other. With one hand, Ayame tried to snatch the eye patch back, the other swinging the dagger. Hibari's tonfa met with the dagger each time, right arm bending out of reach just in time.

It was like a dance again; but this time it was an infuriating one. Both of them moved quickly, urgency in their steps, strength in their swings, determination burning in their eyes.

Again and again their weapons met, both unrelenting, not giving up. Repeatedly again, steel met steel in loud clashes. Fierce, determined swings of their weapons, making the steel contraptions hit each other with brute force, it was a wonder neither of their weapons flew out of their hands.

Finally, Ayame managed to knock Hibari's weapon out of his hand.

"Tch," Hibari grunted, jumping back to avoid Ayame's fierce attacks.

She continued to swing at him with that one dagger, and then reached down to pull out the other dagger from her right boot. Leaping back, she threw both of the daggers at Hibari.

Hibari dodged quickly, and noticed she had wires attached to the daggers as they were pulled back to her. Again and again, she threw them at him, and repeatedly, he dodged them as quickly as he could.

Suddenly, she stopped throwing her daggers, and leapt at Hibari. The sudden movement caught him in surprise, and he was pinned to the floor by Ayame.

He stared up into her unreadable eyes, at her troubled expression. Moments passed as silence ensued once again. He was pinned down by the shoulders, her palms on them. His legs were tangled with hers. Her knees pressed down near his crotch. It was uncomfortable.

But warmth- it was all Hibari felt. He could see the details of Ayame's facial features: her long eyelashes, her double eyelids, her smooth skin that shone; her eyebrows that were raised so succinctly... This was what she looked like up close...

Hibari wondered when he knew those features looked like they did. But he couldn't bring himself to laugh when he found out the reason why. After all, he hadn't been this close to her, nose to nose, eye to eye... and kissing.

Moments passed as their lips remained to be latched together. Then, Ayame's hands moved before her head, pushing her body off his, and then the warmth was gone as she stood up.

Her stance was proud. In her left hand was her eye patch. But Ayame couldn't smirk as she turned and jumped out through the window.

Leaving Hibari alone, to feel confused.

* * *

Oh yay , I've finally updated again 8D ! -throws confetti- Anyway , for those of you who might have SKIPPED MY NOTICEEEEEEEEEEEE ... I'll repeat 5 more times for you .

By the way;

Word count for this chapter: 5880 , excluding the extra words like review replies , etc. By far the longest 8D ! Enjoy ~

**NOTICE: PLEASE READ THIS.  
- I will NOT be updating until I return from my major exams , which would be around mid-November . I am also going overseas during December . But don't fret , I'll be updating once I come back ! So please my dear readers , be patient and wait for my return ...**

******NOTICE: PLEASE READ THIS.  
- I will NOT be updating until I return from my major exams , which would be around mid-November . I am also going overseas during December . But don't fret , I'll be updating once I come back ! So please my dear readers , be patient and wait for my return ...**

******NOTICE: PLEASE READ THIS.  
- I will NOT be updating until I return from my major exams , which would be around mid-November . I am also going overseas during December . But don't fret , I'll be updating once I come back ! So please my dear readers , be patient and wait for my return ...**

******NOTICE: PLEASE READ THIS.  
- I will NOT be updating until I return from my major exams , which would be around mid-November . I am also going overseas during December . But don't fret , I'll be updating once I come back ! So please my dear readers , be patient and wait for my return ...**

******NOTICE: PLEASE READ THIS.  
- I will NOT be updating until I return from my major exams , which would be around mid-November . I am also going overseas during December . But don't fret , I'll be updating once I come back ! So please my dear readers , be patient and wait for my return ...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Review Replies!

**TulipsxxxConfession:** _Aw , thanks ! My gratitude for reviewing , keeps me going ! Enjoy this chapter !_

**kuroitubasa24: **_Thanks , first time it's been called epic , I think xD ! Enjoy !_

**thearistocrat: **_They are kind of based off my personality xD (only Ayame, that is). I think Ayame is a little OOC here , but it's only due to her condition ! Thanks for your review and your well wishes , enjoy !_

* * *

Ayame lay curled up; awake, next to Ryo on the sofa. She could hear her brother's soft snoring, but said female had overcrowding thoughts that almost drowned out his snores.

Just lying there, she tried to clear her head of any thoughts that would distract her from her planned training regime tomorrow, but she was failing miserably.

Accepting her fate, she sighed and got up. With her eyes focused on the darkness of the night sky, she looked out of the window in the kitchen.

'Maybe a cup of warm milk will help me,'she thought, 'anything to get rid of this fatigue and trouble.'

She reached for the milk and poured herself a cup, then set it in the oven to warm it up. While she was waiting, she forced her mind to think of other troubles, rather than the softness of the skylark's lips, the warmth of his well-toned body, the silkiness of his beautiful tresses…

Damn. She was doing it again. Just then, the oven bleeped, ruining her thoughts, and she had never been as grateful. She took the milk out of the oven, and as she sipped it and enjoyed its warmth, she thought of the strawberry-blonde they had encountered as of this evening.

Her eyes, still closed, drooped further as if showing that she was troubled, and a deep frown embedded a line in her brows.

* * *

"_Stop that, Cho!" Ayame shrieked, holding up her tiny hands to shield her face._

_Her crimson red eyes shone brightly with laughter and mirth, alike her twin brother's. Cho's strawberry-blond hair bounced around in two ponytails, and she laughed happily as she tried to splash Ayame with water._

_They had many happy memories together… however, that was when they were running from the Mafioso when they were five. They had met Cho in a small village near the outskirts of Italy, and stayed in hiding with her, though they never said anything of being involved with the Mafia to her._

_Since they were about the same age, they started to play together, and became friends._

_However, their friendship was cut short, for Cho's father was also one of the Mafioso on the twins' trail. He had not discovered that they were right under his nose, until one day when he noticed Ryo's ring, hanging from his necklace._

_That was when all Hell broke loose, and all the Mafioso charged after them. Without an explanation whatsoever, Cho's father chased them out. Gathering the other Mafioso, he started on their trail to finally kill the traces of the Elysia family._

_Cho had followed her father to try to stop him from doing anything particularly harmful to the twins; but she fell back for her legs were short, as was her stamina._

_When Cho finally got to the men, they were all dead __–__ including her father. She took one look at Ayame, who was bleeding out of her eyes, and the blood on said blackhead's tiny body._

_It took only moments for Cho to chalk up the solution. The only explanation was simple: Ayame had killed all these innocent men, and her father._

_From that moment on, Cho had hated Ayame, and swore vengeance towards Ayame._

* * *

From the last Ayame had heard of Cho since then, she had joined a Mafia that wasn't well-known, and since then, Cho had always tried to exact her revenge on Ayame for her father's death.

However, Cho didn't know the full story and the reason why Ayame had to kill them. Then, Cho was so angry and upset about her father's death that she took Ayame as the blame for it. She didn't know then that Ayame had to kill or be killed; and till today, she still was unaware of this fact.

Despite this, Ayame knew that there was no chance of explaining the obvious to Cho. Cho had already made her mind up, and Ayame was sorrowful for the faithful friend she had lost- but this vengeance that Cho held against her wasn't wrong. Ayame knew Cho was close to her father, very close, and by killing him, she killed their friendship.

She didn't regret killing those Mafioso and sacrificing her eyes, but the one thing she hated about having killed those men was that Ryo lost Cho. She knew Cho and Ryo shared a special relationship, and she had to ruin it by killing Cho's father and causing Cho to hate them both.

That was the main reason why Ayame chose to train harder and grow stronger, just so that Ryo wouldn't worry unnecessarily about her. Just so that Ryo could enjoy his life, have a girlfriend and experience love. Ayame wished her brother happiness after she had shattered his childhood possible romance, until now she still felt the same.

By calling Cho 'close to trash', she knew her brother hurt somewhere deep inside, because in that place deep inside, her brother still had feelings for Cho.

Cupping the warm milk in her hands, she held it, not taking another sip and enjoying its warmth. With her head tilted towards the night sky, she observed the stars while she rubbed the glass, wanting yet another chance to live another life.

* * *

Slowly, Tsuna blinked his eyes open. 'Eh..?' He thought, glancing at the clock. '8:59AM?' He screamed out loud in his mind. 'I'm gonna be late!' Taking a huge leap out of his bed, Tsuna scrambled for the bathroom. Just then, he retraced his steps to a still-dozing Ayame.

"A-Ayame?" He questioned, stepping back into the room and shake the girl awake so she wouldn't be late.

".. Mmm…" Ayame replied tiredly, before she peeked open a white orb at Tsuna.

"Good, you're awake…" Tsuna sighed, relieved. "It's time to go to school; we'll be late if we don't hurry!"

"… Okay…"

Tsuna raced out of the room again, but his mind nagged at him. 'Something's wrong with Ayame today…'

* * *

Together with Ryo, the trio quickly headed to school and hurried through the corridor to class. Ryo's gaze was pinned on Ayame, who had her face expression arranged in its usual smiling get-up, but one could see the weariness even in her closed gaze.

"You alright, baby sister?" Ryo asked, pulling lightly on the blackhead's arm.

"I'm… fine…" Ayame stuttered, feeling her body burn and the cold chill of the non-existent wind around them.

Her breaths came in heavy pants, and cold sweat formed on her body. Her legs were trembling, shaking so much, and she felt her fingers go numb. She tried to grasp onto Ryo's sleeve, but found air instead as she fell towards the ground.

Distantly, she heard her name being called, and a loud shriek from Tsuna, and then a warm sensation. Somebody had caught her before she hit the ground, and she was relieved through her sickly state.

"… Please take good care of my baby sister," Ryo pursed his lips, crimson eyes fixed on the Cloud Guardian, a threat underlined in his simple sentence.

Without a word, Hibari just nodded once and walked off with Ayame safely in his arms. Ryo continued to stare at him, crimson orbs troubled, but Tsuna tugged on Ryo's sleeve to get his attention.

"The bell's about to go," Tsuna was close to hyperventilating, "let's go!"

Ryo nodded, and together they quickly raced to class to make it on time.

* * *

Hibari walked down the school's corridor, carrying the collapsed Wind Guardian in his arms. 'For someone who eats so much, she's very light.' He thought off-handedly.

Said maiden stirred a little in his arms, and he clutched her closer to his body. He could feel the heat radiating from her slender frame, and he was sure if he put his hand to her forehead, she would be running a fever. He'd have to hurry up.

"… You're more trouble than you're worth, Akanke." Hibari muttered as he stepped up his pace towards the nurse's office.

* * *

Ayame slowly opened her eyes to avoid looking straight into the glare of the bright sunlight. Glancing around her, she noticed green curtains and a white room. She blinked, confused, before she caught sight of the sleeping Cloud Guardian beside her bed.

She felt something drop from her forehead, and looked down to see a wet towel. '… A towel?' She thought, getting more confused in her delirious state.

Just then, the male opened his eyes, and Ayame opened her mouth to question him.

There was a silence as the moment passed. Hibari just stared at her, "Lost your voice too, I see."

She screwed up her face in concentration as she tried again to ask him what he was doing with her in the nurse's office. A chuckle slipped out of his lips after witnessing her failed attempts. Ayame puffed her cheeks out, as if to say not to laugh at her.

Hibari just reached for an orange-colored medicine rested on the drawer beside her bed, and poured a spoonful of it.

"Eat this," He said. "You'll get better after some more rest."

Ayame stared at him for a moment, then leaned forward and let him feed her the sweet yet sour medicine. Placing the towel on her forehead again as she lay back, he tucked the blanket around her.

She went back to sleep, but just as her consciousness slipped over its brink, she could swear she heard the Guardian mutter something, but she couldn't put her finger on it through her haze.

"I'll be here if you need me, Akanke."

* * *

When Ayame awoke again, the room was empty. Her white orbs slowly opened, almost silver in the moonlight.

"… Kyoya?" She murmured, still drowsy, although she noticed she had her voice back, looking around for the Guardian.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she peeked open one white orb again to find a bowl of porridge in front of her.

"You need to eat," Hibari's rough voice sounded, almost echoing through her ringing ears.

"… Mm..." She conceded without any hesitation.

With the Cloud Guardian's help, she finished the porridge in a few minutes. As she tried to get off the bed, sharp pain shot through her body and she whimpered. Just then, a pair of strong, warm hands restrained any movement by pushing on her shoulders.

"Kyoya- What?" She mumbled almost incoherently as the guardian pushed her back into a lying position.

"You're going to have to rest here tonight," He told her, a frown lacing his soft lips.

Biting her own lip, she hesitated for a moment before she conceded once again. She lay back onto the bed and he tucked her in once more. As she drifted off to sleep, her slipping conscious made her feel a distinct warmth on her forehead, leaving her to wonder what it was through her sickly daze.

* * *

Frankly, Hibari could do very well off without having to look after Akanke, but a promise was a promise, and even though Hibari hated doing this caring thing, he had to keep to his promises. It was one of his principles, despite the fact that he hated working with anyone on anything.

His promise to Ryo, however, wasn't only to that Rain Guardian, but it was also to himself as well. After that kiss they shared, Hibari had thought of nothing but the texture of those soft lips, that warm, tiny tongue inside that moist cavern, the feel of Ayame's mouth…

Damn, he had to snap out of this confusion. After that kiss, he had to stay away from Ayame and suppress any urges. Any primitive urges that could very be a dangerous hazard to him. He had to take care of Ayame though; one way or another, and he didn't plan to do anything that had to do with his damn urges.

He watched as the female slept, eyes close in deep slumber, close to an image of an innocent angel. However, Hibari knew better than to trust that innocent angel-like façade, and he sweatdropped as he watched the female sleep.

As much as Hibari hated to admit it, Akanke really interested him…

She was so strong physically, albeit she looked weak. She had a strong mindset that he could very well see. Her mental strength was like an ox's physical strength.

He reached out a hand and pushed her hair away from her face, an action unlike Hibari's aloof nature. He assured himself it was just because he didn't want her fringe to get wet from the towel rested on her forehead, and besides, she was sick, and he had to take care of her.

Said female suddenly stirred, and the towel fell off her forehead onto the mattress without a sound. He stared at her, both confused and amused, watching the raven-haired maiden continue to stir as if she was having a nightmare.

Hibari could do nothing but stare at her as she twisted and turned her body, and her brows drew close together as if she was still having a nightmare. That was when one of her arms flailed, and hit Hibari square in the chest.

"Why, you…" Hibari growled, taking out his tonfas. "Wait, I can't, she's sick."

He had a hard time trying to not hit Ayame right now – especially with the urge for revenge due to his loss during their first battle. Reluctantly, he put his tonfas down, and placed the towel on her forehead again. 'Why do I even care so much?' Hibari growled again as he thought that. 'It's only because she's a rival.'

'She and I are evenly matched in power,' Hibari said to himself. 'If I want to beat her, I want her to be at the top of her game. That's why I'm taking care of her. No use fighting a weak opponent, that's the only reason I'm doing this.'

As much as he repeated that to himself, a small side of him disagreed. That tiny bit always liked to disagree with him, and he hated that part of him.

"Akanke…" The skylark murmured, wanting her to get better. But it was only because he didn't need to take care of her anymore, and he could fight her again. "Better let her have a rest then."

* * *

When Ayame opened her eyes again, it was around dawn. She felt a weight on her left arm, and turned her head down to see the Cloud Guardian himself sleeping on it. Defenseless as a baby, she thought, blinking down at his sleeping figure.

'Well, I guess I owe him one for this,' She noted to herself. 'I'll have to battle him once I'm recovered to repay him. I hate owing people, and of all people, him.'

She nestled her head back more on her soft pillow, and stared at the raven-haired male, eyes pinned on his face. Glancing down, she noticed he had his tonfas in his hands, the left one resting against the side of her bed as he used his left arm as a pillow.

Bored, she lifted her head up to look at the sun as it rose from the horizon, and it begun to filter through the window onto the Guardian. 'It's still early," Ayame thought as she reached for the thermometer with her right hand, as to not wake the sleeping male up. Managing to grasp it slightly with her fingers, she brought it to her mouth and popped it in.

After gazing at the Guardian for a few moments while waiting for the thermometer to signal, she couldn't help but to stare at his hair – it was so… black, so silky, and it looked so soft and fluffy. It might have been the fever causing her to think that way, but she reached out anyway, and soon her hand met his black tresses.

It was soft to touch and fluffy, just like it looked, and she liked it. Caressing, twirling and playing with his locks in her more-than-slightly confused daze – courtesy of her fever – she enjoyed herself like she was a mere kid again.

Just then, the thermometer beeped, pulling her back from her trance. Quickly, she removed her hand from the soft black tresses of the dangerous Cloud Guardian to glance at her temperature reading. When she finally looked back up from the reading of 39oC, her gaze clashed with a steely one of grey-blue orbs.

"What are you doing awake, Akanke?" Hibari's voice was soft, demanding, laced with a dangerous undertone. "You should be resting now, or I'll help with that." Saying so, he lifted up a steel tonfa.

It's fine, Kyoya," She stared at him with closed eyes. "I'll sleep by myself."

Hibari made a sound of disagreement, but he put his tonfas down and stared hard at the female until she finally laid her head onto the pillow again, after much delay due to her trying to be funny by lowering her head slowly as if they were in a slow-motion flick.

In her mind, Ayame was laughing at Hibari's disgruntled expression at her slowness that she was doing half-purposely. She tried to suppress her smile, but it still tilted the corners of her lips.

"I saw that, Akanke," Hibari snarled, teeth bared and tonfas raised. "I said to sleep."

On hearing that, she opened her eyes and stared at him with snow-white orbs.

"It's already morning, don't you have to go?" She questioned calmly.

"No," Hibari answered immediately as he glanced at the clock that said 6:59PM. "Time for you to eat something before taking your medicine, and _another rest so you can get better,_" he emphasized on the last part.

Ayame sighed, though she disliked having to lie around in bed all day recuperating but she had to if she really wanted to get well.

"Fine," She tilted her head to the side, agreeable, but voice defiant. She slid her eyes close again, and slowly sat up.

He placed the bowl of steaming hot porridge onto the bedside table, and then glanced at her, as if to ask if she was able to eat by herself.

"No, too weak," She smirked at Hibari, although she knew she could lift her arms just fine. She just liked to make him irritated.

"You're doing this on purpose," Hibari growled; eyes fierce as he stared the female down.

"I'm sick," Ayame simply replied. "What are you going to do about that?"

Hibari growled, but relented nonetheless, picking up the bowl of porridge and scooping a spoonful.

"Open up," He muttered fiercely. "Or I'll shove it in."

"You do realize how wrong that sounds," Ayame commented calmly as she opened her mouth and he pushed the spoon in.

"No," Hibari glared icily as he scooped another spoonful. "That was just you being weird out of nowhere."

"I'm not being weird," Ayame stared at him. "I'm sick; I can't help but act strange."

"There is no scientific reason to back up being all crazy when you're sick," Hibari stared back, eyes fierce as he almost shoved the steaming hot porridge into her mouth.

"You almost choked me there," She muttered, but ate the porridge and swallowed it down anyway.

"Humph, like I care," He closed his eyes and scooped more porridge. "After all, if you're dead, then I needn't take care of you."

"Tsk, Kyoya," She frowned. "That's very bad of you." Upon saying that, the spoon once again met her lips and she was forced to eat the porridge along with her words.

"I don't care what you think of me," Hibari commented, obviously bothered by what she said even though he hid it. "Just shut up and eat."

Ayame willingly obliged, but she knew there was always a way to make the skylark ever so annoyed…

"So…" She tried to stop the wide smirk from tilting her lips and giving away her little plan. "Kyoya, can we play a game?"

"What," Hibari growled, clearly annoyed by such a useless question. "Fine, only this once, seeing as to your ill condition, I shall play with you your silly little game."

"Alright," Ayame smirked, the corners of her mouth tilted up so much till her sparkly white teeth showed, and she looked much like a Cheshire cat. "It's called twenty questions, and it means we can question each other all we want."

"…." Hibari could say nothing once he heard of the game itself. Slowly, he lifted up his hand till his eyes and pinched his lips into a deep frown.

'Why me,' was the only though filling up his head right now, and he mentally groaned at his own self-devised doom. If only he hadn't agreed to take care of her, then he wouldn't be in this mess.

"So, I'll start then," Ayame grinned as she continued to eat the porridge he fed her. "What's your favorite color?"

Hibari kept silent, wanting her to get the clue that he didn't want to play the stupid game of questions.

"Kyoya," She frowned. "Answer it."

"… Purple," the Cloud Guardian admitted after dragging it for so long. "How long is this 'game'?"

"Never thought it would be your pick," Ayame flashed her signature Cheshire cat grin. Ignoring his question, she continued, "What's your favorite food?"

"… Kobe beef," Hibari sighed, wanting to bite the Wind Guardian to death because she was getting annoying. "Just shut up and rest now, Akanke."

"You spoil the fun, Kyoya," She lay back down after finishing her porridge.

"Hn," Hibari snorted, thinking he didn't, in any way, spoil any fun at all.

He put the empty bowl on the table, observing that her appetite was good – this bode well, since she had her appetite back – meaning she would get well sooner, and he could battle her sooner.

Pulling the blanket over the female, he stopped her from any further unnecessary movements that would just delay his time.

"Sleep," He ordered the powerful female before he left.

Said Guardian did as she was told, only because she could barely move anymore, and her body was burning up again. Just then, the door slid open again, and silence ensued.

"Forgot to make her eat her medicine," Hibari muttered, pouring a spoonful of her medicine. "Akanke."

"Hm?" Ayame opened one eye to look at the male. "Oh, medicine, I thought you had forgotten."

"Like I would," Hibari told her, although he actually did forget. "Enough said, eat it."

Slowly, the Wind Guardian sat up and opened her mouth. Hibari stuffed the spoon inside and took it out once she swallowed.

"Now sleep." With that, the male left once again.

* * *

Ayame closed the one eye she opened, staring at the ceiling with her closed eyes. Imagining that, if she was a bluebird flying around, she would definitely escape from the nurse's office, she was so sure. However, she got tired of fantasizing of flying like all people do, and reached into her jacket, pulling out Thief's box.

The raccoon let out a chirp and sniffed Ayame's face. On recognizing its wielder, it then licked her cheek and snuggled up to her shoulder and neck. She stroked his warm fur lovingly, and felt his muzzle near her chin. Soon, Thief's soft snores filled the still silence in the air, and Ayame immediately felt more at home.

With the raccoon tucked to the left side of her body like a safety blanket, one of the world's greatest curses fell asleep.

* * *

"Hibari Kyoya," Ryo called out to the skylark. "I hope you took good care of my sister, or I'll turn your catchphrase into mine."

"… She's in the nurse's office," Hibari told the Rain Guardian while walking past him without looking back. "Worry about your sister yourself."

"You promised to take care of her," Ryo narrowed his crimson orbs. "If anything happens to my sister, I will hold you responsible, and I will hunt you down."

"Humph, like I care," Hibari grunted, doubting that Ryo was just that strong as Ayame was. He had taken care of Ayame because of that damn promise, and he had not done anything to the Wind Guardian.

Ryo was anxious to see his sister, and was already practically running towards the nurse's office.

"Ryo, slow down!" Tsuna called out,, panting as he tried to catch up with the male. "Wait up!"

Ryo slowed his stride and let the young mafia boss catch up to him. Blowing out his breath in huge pants, the boss did so and put his hands on his knees, exhausted from just running that tiny distance.

"Well," Ryo started, quirking his eyebrows. "Someone's unfit."

"It's not my fault…" Tsuna panted as he tried to catch his breath. "You have longer legs than me!"

"What do longer legs have to do with being fit?" Ryo still had his eyebrows raised. "You're just unfit, deal with it, Tsunayoshi."

"Where are you going, anyway?" The brunette male continued trying to catch his breath.

"I'm going to see my baby sister," Ryo replied, a hint of protectiveness laced in the silky timbre of his voice.

"O-Of course," Tsuna stammered. "Let's go see her, then."

The two of them headed towards the nurse's office together; Gokudera and Yamamoto joining them in a little while once they had rounded the corner.

"Where are you all going, to the extreme?" Ryohei yelled as he suddenly pounced on the group, scaring Tsuna out of his skin and Gokudera to pull out his bombs.

"Just on our way to see my sister," Ryo told the Sun Guardian calmly, not one tiny bit affected by the male's loud yell.

"Good to see you," Yamamoto grinned at the Guardian cheerfully, also unaffected by the Sun Guardian.

All of them waited behind the Rain Guardian patiently as he opened the door softly to reveal the Wind Guardian asleep.

"Keep it down," He whispered to them before stepping in silently. "She's sleeping."

"What happened to her, anyway?" Tsuna whispered back, as if they were talking about top-secret information.

"Probably a fever or something," Ryo assured all of them as they stepped closer. "Despite us being capable of many physical feats, Ayame's health has been on the decline ever since we were little."

"I'm sure you all don't know this," He sat down in the plastic chair beside the bed. "Ayame actually had a close shave with death when we were younger."

"Whoa," Yamamoto whistled softly, albeit shrilly.

"So?" Gokudera uttered, crossing his arms, not bothering to keep his volume down. He was vaguely interested even if he showed no signs of it. "What has that got to do with us?"

Said female in the bed stirred, brows furrowing, eyes scrunching up, and Ryo quickly ushered them out of the room like a sheepdog herding sheep.

"I'll save that story for another time," Ryo told them once he had shut the door ever so gently. "You will all know why my sister is this way… Sarcastic, solemn, fight-obsessed…"

"It is one of the secrets kept in our family," Ryo looked up into the sky through the glassy window panes. "However, it came as quite the surprise… Nobody could have ever guessed it. Nobody in the whole, wide world could have ever guessed it."

"What is it?" Tsuna tilted his head, looking up at the Rain Guardian.

"I'll tell you all another time," Ryo grinned at them with a wink.

"You keep us in suspense with your mysterious words," Gokudera started; temper flaring up and fists clenched. "Then, you tell us that you'll tell us another time?"

"Hayato," Ryo began, smirking at the Storm Guardian and pissing the latter off even more. "You're being too hot-headed. Cool down."

"Why you-!" Gokudera started taking out all of his bombs. "I'll blow you to smithereens!"

"You forget who you're dealing with," Ryo stated, slipping out his pole and slicing all of the dynamite tops off. "I am Ryo _Akanke._"

The Storm Guardian froze in place as Ryo suddenly appeared behind him.

"Remember, Vongola Tenth's Storm Guardian," The silky timbre of Ryo's voice choked Gokudera with its purposeful sweetness and slowness. "I am one of the greatest curses in the world."

With that said, Ryo vanished, leaving the Guardians of the Vongola shocked and stunned by Ryo's sudden display of dark power.

* * *

Oh yes . Could it be ? I finished Brightness , and DA Chapter 7 is up . _I am gooooooood . _Enjoy !


	8. Chapter 8

**DA Chap 8**

I can't believe the next day after i posted up chapter 7 , 3 reviews popped out :O You guys are great ! :D

_Replies:_

**kirichancute: **_Thanks for reviewing, here's the next chapter,_ enjoy!  
**kuroitsubasa24: **_Thanks xD That means a lot , I don't eat thumbs :O Enjoy !  
_**TulipsxxxConfession:** _Woah , you'd do that for my story ? Cool xD I'm glad you like it so much , enjoy !_

* * *

"Man, what is with that guy?" Gokudera grunted as he folded his arms as they walked home. "After telling us all that, and now he's been gone for the whole day, tch."

Ryo had mysteriously disappeared after those comments, and neither of them saw him for the rest of the day.

"Gokudera-kun, it's kind of your fault," Tsuna sweatdropped, an uneasy smile on his face. "You're the one that got mad at him."

"I wonder what that was about though," Yamamoto added in, and Ryohei agreed with an extreme yell. "He sounded really… how do I put this… weird, back there."

"I think it's more of a he was trying to sound evil," Gokudera threw into the conversation without an afterthought.

"Hie! Evil?" Tsuna shrieked, clutching the sides of his head. "Ryo wouldn't be evil! H-he's on our side!"

"That's difficult to say," Gokudera disagreed. "That guy hasn't fought us yet, remember? That means he's trying to observe our moves!"

"Hie! What?" The brunette male shrieked once more, clutching at his hair now, almost tearing out the brown strands from his anxiety.

"Now, now," Yamamoto let out a carefree laugh. "I'm sure you're just being paranoid, Gokudera!"

"Well, it sure as hell doesn't make sense that he doesn't want to fight us!" Gokudera protested, arm raised and anger written all over his face.

As the four males continued to debate – though Tsuna didn't contribute much since he was so freaked out at the prospect of Ryo even betraying them and Ayame, they didn't notice a certain male with jet-black hair and piercing crimson eyes that was watching them, their every move, their every step, their every breath. Orbs of crimson narrowed, and the figure vanished into the wind.

* * *

Ayame lay, still in the nurse's office, having another check-up. Apparently, her fever hadn't gone down since yesterday, and none of the medicine they prescribed was working. Just as the nurse prepared her for a blood test to send to the hospital, the door to the office slid open.

"Ryo," Ayame greeted, her eyes closed in their usual fashion. "It's been a long time since I saw you. I hope you didn't scare Tsunayoshi and the others."

"Worry not, baby sister," Ryo smiled, crimson eyes glowing. "I made sure they didn't do anything idiotic, is all."

The nurse swooned at the sight of a beautiful – no, devilishly handsome, boy, clasping her hands, blushing as red as a tomato, and trying to act as sexy as she could by batting her lashes a thousand miles per second.

Raising a brow, Ryo simply stepped away from said female, and went towards his sister, who, he knew, was taking in his appearance.

"You look very tired," Ayame told him, noting the fatigue and weariness he had in his crimson irises. "Come and rest."

"Yeah," Ryo agreed, taking a seat beside her while the nurse tried to collect herself to continue the blood test. "How are you feeling, though?"

"… Weak," She concluded after contemplating. "It seems my fever hasn't resided yet."

"That seems bad," Ryo remarked, crossing his arms and frowning at his sister. "Is she going to be alright, nurse?"

"Y-yes, she should be…" The nurse muttered, averting her eyes from Ryo's suddenly fierce crimson irises.

Crimson orbs darkened as they watched the nurse prepare the syringe and wipe Ayame's arm to take her blood. Glaring at the syringe itself, Ryo seemed to be trying to intimidate it to not hurt his sister.

"There, all done," The nurse pulled back the syringe, now filled with Ayame's blood, and packed it into a small plastic bag. "I'll send this to the hospital, and by tomorrow we'll have the report. Please excuse me, then."

Casting a glance over her shoulder at Ryo once again, the nurse sighed dreamily, but nevertheless scurried out of the office quickly. Ryo was quite handsome, but he was dangerous as well.

Wearily, Ryo helped his sister back to the bed, where Ayame collapsed once she was free of his gentle, albeit firm, grasp. Worry engulfed him as his heart broke and shattered into smithereens just watching his strong little sister suffer from just a tiny fever. He ran a hand through his jet-black locks, crimson eyes tired as he tucked her in with his free hand.

Laying his lips on her forehead, he took a seat beside the bed, gently stroking her black tresses, eyes glittering with unshed tears.

"Please… Don't leave me, baby sister…" The male whispered, hand on her cheek, gentle, caressing the soft, pale skin, "I need you here; you're the only one I have left."

He knew she wouldn't hear him; she was asleep. Her slow, deliberating heartbeat, her deep, soft breaths, her closed eyes that had slipped from their original fashion into one of deep rest's, those were all the signs of her exhaustion.

"Sleep, baby sister," Ryo's voice echoed around the sleeping female, a soothing, rich and deep timbre. "You need it."

* * *

As Ryo continued to sit there, still as a statue, he sensed that they weren't alone anymore. A strong, albeit vicious, force or rather, aura, was emitting from outside the nurse's office. Having felt the powerful presence, the male smiled to himself as the door slid open to reveal the one he had suspected: Hibari Kyoya.

"… It's late," Hibari stated, misty-grey eyes on the male, wary. "Plus, it's raining now."

"I know," Ryo replied, having listened to the pounding of the raindrops against the windowsill. "It's quite heavy."

"What are you still doing here then?" The skylark rebuked, striding over as the ends of his jackets lifted with his steps.

"Looking after my sister, what does it look like?" The Rain Guardian smirked, crimson eyes glowing.

"It is already after-school hours," Hibari mused, a tonfa glistening under his jacket, poised and ready. "I suggest you _go home._"

"Tsk, threatening me," Ryo had a dark expression for a second, but then it cleared into a smile. "I'll see you around then."

With that, the Rain Guardian left. Once Hibari heard the door slide shut fully, he visibly relaxed.

"I see you're scared of Ryo," A female's voice commented, and Hibari turned to see said female awake and sitting upright with her legs crossed. "That's to be expected."

"Keep quiet," Hibari barked. "You should be sleeping."

"I would if I could," Ayame flashed a toothy grin. "However, the storm is quite loud."

The wind howled and rattled the windowpane, bolts of lightning and thunder cracked and flashed, the rain beat mercilessly against the window, as if wanting to get in at the pair.

"Just sleep," Hibari growled, raising a tonfa.

"Fine, fine," Ayame put her hands up in mock surrender and lay back on the bed.

_Ryo… What's wrong…? _

* * *

Without an umbrella, Ryo walked towards the park. Mercilessly, the rain pelted upon him, as if punishing him for the evil deed he had done in the past. Lifting a hand, Ryo stared at it as raindrops dripped onto it, collecting to form a tiny puddle in the palm of his hand.

"_I'll never fight with my full power again!" Ryo cried, hugging his sister close, staining his clean white shirt with blood._

Crimson orbs widened, and Ryo almost collapsed from the pressure he had in his mind. Weakly, his hands clutched at the nearest object – a tree, and the rough bark cut into the skin of his palm, drawing blood.

Staring at the metallic red substance in his palm, in the rain, soaked right to the bone, Ryo felt a wave of melancholy crash over him. Without doing anything to stop the bleeding, he took a seat under the very same tree, which provided little shelter, since it had sparse leaves.

The wind whipped all around Ryo, as if it were angry at him. If Ayame was the wind, and Ryo was the rain… it'd make sense, right? Ryo just questioned himself with theories of why the wind and rain came together.

* * *

"_Ryo!" A younger Ayame ran up to him as he held a book to his face, reading. "Look, a flower!"_

"_Oh? That's rare," Ryo muttered after glancing at the flower. "It's definitely a rose, but it's red and white."_

"_I know!" His sister exclaimed. "It's so pretty!"_

"_A red and white rose represents unity, Ayame," Ryo told her, marking the page of his book and closing it. "We'll be together forever, and I'll protect you because we're twins and we're united!"_

_Staring at Ryo with big, crimson eyes, Ayame blinked, and then broke into one of her biggest smiles._

"_Yep!" _

Ryo smiled at the memory, lips curving up at last. Since little, Ayame always had the habit of picking flowers, and keeping them. He'd help her press them and tape them into the book of precious things she held close to her heart, like their mother's necklace, her first flower and even one strand of his hair from before.

Once the possession, or object, had been taped firmly, she writes down what it was and what it meant to her. Her beloved. Her treasure. Her everything.

* * *

_"Probably a fever or something," Ryo assured all of them as they stepped closer. "Despite us being capable of many physical feats, Ayame's health has been on the decline ever since we were little."_

_"I'm sure you all don't know this," He sat down in the plastic chair beside the bed. "Ayame actually had a close shave with death when we were younger."_

The reason he didn't continue was simple – for one, Ayame hated having to recount that incident. Secondly, he himself didn't like to think about that incident. Most simple of all, Ryo just didn't want to face the heavy weight of the gut-churning guilt he had experienced before again.

* * *

"_Ryo... What happened...?" Ayame tugged on her brother's sleeve, eyes scrunched as she tried to see through her blurred eyes. _

"_I don't know..." Ryo replied, before glancing at his sister. She had just sacrificed about half of her vision to defeat those Mafioso. He was sure that she couldn't see that well now._

_After Ayame became "half-blind", they continued to wander through the streets._

Sighing, Ryo turned his face up to the sky, the dark grey, swirling clouds, the claps of lightning and rumblings of the thunder, closing his eyes, trying to feel the darkness his sister felt...

* * *

_Five years after that incident had passed in a flash. They were ten, as Reborn had said. Glancing at his sister, Ryo noted how dull her half-lidded crimson eyes were. Lifeless, soulless, as if all the laughter and mirth had been sucked out of them after the fight with the Mafioso, he lowered his lashes and averted his gaze._

_How long could they run? They had ran for weeks, for five years, day after day, night after night, growing tired, growing weary, just wanting it all to end._

* * *

Ryo opened his eyes, sadness shown in the crimson, frown lacing his lips. He looked around him, suddenly aware of the stillness in the park. Neither wind nor rain let up; both aimed at Ryo as the wind whipped his hair, the hem of his shirt, the bottom of his pants; the rain pelted in his direction, on his face, on his bare arms, soaking him. It was as if his and Ayame's respective elements were angry at him.

It had happened before Ayame fully sacrificed her eyes to save them both, but after she had sacrificed half of her vision to kill the Mafioso – including Cho's father. Apparently, unbeknownst to the twins, or Ayame, Cho had Ryo in the palm of her hand. It was partly because of his own feelings, and he had always blamed himself.

Remembering that incident always set off the warning bells in his head, and Ryo sighed. He knew it was because every time the incident was brought up to his mind, Cho would automatically follow.

It would seem that the lust for revenge turned Cho into quite a manipulator. Using his feelings like that... it was unforgivable.

* * *

"_Ryo?" Ayame questioned, eyes dull. "What are you doing?"_

"_I'll heal you," Ryo replied, setting the backpack he had on down. "Come here."_

"_Kill her," A voice in his head echoed. "Use your power, Ryo, and do it."_

_The soft glow of the white light from Ryo's hands seemed to sharpen as he fell into a trance. Ranging from whites to light shades of yellows, the hues of the light changed. Soon, it was a menacing red, and Ayame sharply cried out._

_In his trance, Ryo had heard nothing as the red light continued to inflict damage upon his sister, taking her life before him. As it grew stronger, and Ayame grew weaker, she gave a final, piercing scream that jolted Ryo from his reverie._

_Quickly, he stopped the light, and kneeled down to take his sister into his arms. She was bleeding, even though he had been using his healing powers._

"_I'll never fight with my full power again!" Ryo cried, hugging his sister close, staining his clean white shirt with blood._

* * *

Ryo lowered his lashes, crimson eyes dulling as he recalled that specific memory. Ayame had clung onto the cliff of life then, on the verge, the very brink of dying. It was his entire fault. His fault that she had almost died and Ryo would never forgive himself. He had almost killed his own sister – his twin, a sin that would have haunted him for ages and made him take his own life.

She was still alive now, but nevertheless, Ryo continued to put the blame on himself. If his feelings hadn't gotten in the way, he would've never almost-killed his sister.

It had been since then, that every time Ayame got sick; it would always take a turn for the worst. Even a single, small cold would've killed her. However, each and every single time, Ayame would pull through in the end.

Ryo feared that Ayame might run out of luck this time. It was irrational, but her illness would seem so severe, like when she was administered medicine, but her fever wouldn't go down. She was the only thing he had left; he was the only thing she had left – their relationship as twins was just that balanced, yet unbalanced. It was fragile, like a glass see-saw, and if one of them got off, one of the ends would be broken and smashed to smithereens.

When Ryo finally came back to reality, he noticed that the rain had stopped. Slowly, he got up, and tugged on the sleeve of his shirt. It was soaked right through, and he felt the cool material press against his arm, sticking to it just like a second skin.

It was no use. No matter how long he stayed out in the rain and refused to bathe, he still wouldn't fall sick. He'd tried every method, but failed. It was as if his body was strong, which was the fact, considering his self-healing abilities. Sighing, he started to walk home, taking the long path so he could think more.

* * *

Ayame couldn't sleep. It was as if her mind was clouded with thoughts – not necessarily hers, and she got more worried about her brother. Series of flashbacks from their past seemed to be haunting him now; although Ayame couldn't piece them together. They were all so separate, but all revolved around her.

A sudden chill ran up her spine when she remembered the same memories – the occasion whereby Ryo had almost killed her. He'd sworn off his full powers then, using only a pole to fight, weakening his strengths and limiting his powers. It was no wonder that the Vongola family didn't see him as much of a powerful ally.

A sudden, severe coughing fit took her by surprise; she hacked and choked until the skylark dozing next to her with his head on her bed woke up.

"Akanke," Hibari begun roughly, voice husky from sleep as he rubbed one eye, "What's with you?"

To answer his question in an intelligent way, Ayame went into another coughing fit.

"… Take your medicine," Hibari ordered as he swiped the orange-colored liquid from its place on the table and pouring a spoonful.

Sitting up obediently, Ayame felt very weak. It was as if the fragile, thin thread called her life was overstrained and ready to snap any minute. Her head ached and she felt dizzy and nauseas, her body was numb yet cramped, she couldn't feel her fingers or her toes; her vision kept blurring and it was as if all her other senses were blocked.

Gruffly, Hibari barked at Ayame to lie back down so he could tuck her in. Said skylark had sensed her unease, and was determined to put a temporary stop to it – by making her sleep so she wouldn't suffer any more.

Shivers racked the female's slender frame, and she quivered like a terrified puppy in a thunderstorm. She tried to grasp the blanket firmly so she could pull it over her head, but felt nothing at her fingertips. However, the warmth of said blanket enveloped her as the male sitting there helped her out.

Hibari's steely gaze remained on her fluttering eyelids, a telltale sign of REM sleep. Watching the female doze her fever off was quite a feat, since it had never gone down once, and the report was only due tomorrow. He wanted her cured. Now. Right this instant, so he could leave sooner, but no, she just had to complicate things.

Pressing his lips together in a frown, Hibari stared down at the female. She'd just taken her medicine, and unlike yesterday, she had been knocked out cold in less than five seconds. It was probably because they upped the dosage of said medicine to make it even stronger and more effective, but the skylark fretted over how Ayame's small body would endure all the medicine.

He didn't get it. Nowadays, when his mind wandered while he was taking a nap up on the roof, it would always churn out thoughts of Ayame. It was as if he was hooked to her like a person doing drugs was… well, hooked. She messed up his concentration and his thoughts, and he didn't like it one bit.

Addicted, Hibari noted to himself. It was as if he was addicted to her. What was wrong with him? To be so addicted to a female, he'd never done that before, and to start now would be pure insanity.

"… Damn," the Cloud Guardian involuntarily cursed, curling his fists up.

There had to be a way to get out of this addiction, Hibari frowned. It'd have to be swift, quick, fast, so no pain would be dealt to either party. Right about now it sounded just like a chess game, and Hibari didn't like it. In fact, he would admit it flat-out: He hated chess, and he hated this.

* * *

Ryo had just accomplished his goal for today – walking home in the rain and getting drenched. As soon as the rain had stopped, it had started again, and Ryo inwardly cursed himself for not even noticing the dark clouds gathered in the sky, bent on making people feel the wrath of their unleashed sea water and winds.

Needless to say, once he stepped through the door, Nana fussed about like a mother hen, handing him one towel after another to dry himself off – right until he was wrapped tightly like a burrito. Now he knew how one of those Mexican foods felt, and he had a pretty good idea to get his sister to not eat burritos any more.

As Nana hurried to the kitchen to fetch him some warm honey-lemon tea, he grabbed hold of the fluffy abomination atop of his head and yanked it down before roughly rubbing his hair with it. The result of his action was even messier hair, and when he sat down, he swore he heard Nana mutter something under her breath like "Even Tsuna takes better care of his hair…"

Blowing onto the surface of the pale-brown or yellow liquid, he observed its thickness and judged its appearance. Frankly, Ryo didn't really care for hot drinks whenever he got caught in the rain; he'd always take a nice, hot bath and feel much more refreshed after that. Hot teas were Ayame's thing, after all.

Just as he took a sip, Nana went about again, fussing like a mother hen once more as she felt his forehead and questioned him about dinner before taking the towels off him and whipping them to the laundry room. When she returned, she began to heat up the leftovers from dinner, since he'd returned home late, and Ayame was still in the school's nurse's office.

Solemnly, he thanked her in a soft tone, and she gave him a smile before telling him that he was under her wing and one of her own. Her motherly tone took him by surprise, but he collected himself and praised her cooking once he dug in.

Right when he was done, she'd all but whisked away the plate to the sink to wash, and he got up to go take a bath. Smiling at him as she left, she patted his shoulder in an affectionate manner, and Ryo smiled sadly, remembering his own mother.

Unlike their father, their mother was extremely kind, and even when her husband's people threatened the safety and lives of her children, she'd always stand up to them. Ayame had wished to be as kind as her mother, and Ryo looked up to her. She was the best role model in both their lives, and when she died, Ayame had blamed herself.

He missed her. It didn't come as a surprise when Ayame always seemed like their mother, kind but fierce, powerful but fragile, protective but unprotected. That was the reason why he'd always wanted to protect her – to preserve that part of her since it reminded him of his mother.

That had been his goal since young, but ever since she sacrificed her eyes to save both of them, he'd realized that even though Ayame and their mother were very much alike, Ayame would go to greater extents to save lives that she deemed worthy, and that included him.

Removing his shirt to reveal a slender but muscular and slightly sinewy body, Ryo turned and stared at the mark on his back. His muscles rippled as he pulled his arms back and forth, stretching out the tension in them. Soon after, his pants and boxers joined his shirt on the floor in a heap, and he stepped into the shower.

Once he felt the heated water caressing his smooth skin, he closed his eyes. He was about the picture of perfect – and any artist would've killed to paint his naked portrait.

Running a hand through his wet and tousled locks, he took in a deep breath and enjoyed the scent of the lavender soap bar, relaxing for once. Ever since they'd arrived in Japan, his stress levels had completely rocketed up right into space, and now, they plunged back down. It didn't mean that his troubles were gone, though, just that they were temporarily washed away, and he didn't have to worry about them for tonight.

It felt good, as he had expected, and nothing more. Once again, water hit his skin to drench him completely.

* * *

It'd been 24 hours – 27, if he was to be accurate – since Hibari had realized his addiction to a certain Wind Guardian. He had stayed up the whole night trying to figure out reasons why he was addicted so, and solutions as to how to get rid of this addiction.

When he'd glanced into the mirror, he thought he had seen a ghost. Or a zombie, considering the eye bags below his grey orbs. Technically, they weren't bags – the skylark made sure he had enough sleep daily so he'd have energy to bite any rule breakers to death the next day, so he'd call them… black eyes.

Maybe he'd be called a panda today, although anyone who would dare to say so would meet the fury of his biting tonfas.

As Hibari got up from the chair, cracking all of his stiff bones and joints, he glanced at the accursed clock that announced the time: 4:55AM. In the morning. He had to just go and wake up so early. Ayame was still soundly asleep, looking very vulnerable, like a baby.

Suppressing a yawn, Hibari lifted a hand to his lips and walked around to get the numbness out of his legs. He was expecting Hibird to drop by any minute now, preferably through the window.

"Midori tanabiku, namimori no~" the tiny yellow chick-like creature sang as it fluttered through the open window. "Hibari! Hibari!"

Slowly, it descended onto the skylark's right shoulder, and Hibari smiled, feeling the tiny amount of warmth radiating from said yellow and fluffy feathered songbird.

Taking care of a certain Wind Guardian was proving to be of much difficulty and a higher caliber than Hibari had originally though. However, having seen her so vulnerable for the first time, he could barely help himself.

Now he was sort of stuck with her, since her health seemed to just be on the decline more, and her fever didn't go down even once. Glaring at said dozing damsel, he wondered what exactly was she that no medicine could help to reduce that horrifying nightmare of a fever.

Frankly, Hibari was more concerned for Ayame's mentality. It wasn't normal for someone to be so obsessed with fighting – not that he could say much, since he loved to fight strong opponents as well. Other than that, it wasn't normal for someone to eat _that _much for every single meal. Additionally, everything she did just didn't make her look human.

Now, though, it was quite obvious she was just as human as he was. Getting sick, being vulnerable, and laying in bed not wanting to move… Those were all human.

Ayame stirred, and Hibari's eyes snapped to her at once, looking for any traces of discomfort from the high fever she had. There seemed to be none as she turned again and continued to sleep, snoring a little, even.

There was certainly no doubt that Ayame and Ryo Akanke were shrouded in mystery. It was as if they were open people, telling stories about themselves, yet at the same time, it was as if they held the greatest, deepest, darkest secrets in the entire world. At any given moment it would seem they were your friends; the next, you probably wouldn't recognize them. Hibari was certain that there was more to them than met the eye, but he never could really place his finger on it.

Ruffling his own hair, Hibari yawned as he walked through the deserted hallway to stretch his limbs further. He threw a glance back into the nurse's ward to see the maiden still asleep, and turned to the window. Dawn was breaking just as he cast his gaze out into the horizon, the hues of the sky melting into perfect, complimenting shades of red, gold and orange.

With Hibird rested snugly on his shoulder, Hibari felt content for once in his life. Though there was still the issue of Ayame nagging at the back of his mind, Hibari's gaze slowly drew to the closed steel gates of Namimori Middle. Tonfas in his hands, he stretched so his sleeve fell back, and his gaze flickered to his revealed steel watch.

It was almost time to report to school, and briskly, Hibari threw another glance into the ward to make sure Ayame was still asleep. After confirming that, he turned quickly and strode towards the stairs, ready to bite any latecomers to death.

* * *

Tsuna was going to be late again. He'd stumbled out of bed, got his foot caught in his blanket and tripped. Having fallen flat on his face, he was surprised that the loud thud echoing through the small room hadn't woken Ayame, but then he remembered she was still sick, and at school, being nursed back to health by Hibari.

Shivers racked the brunette's spine once his thoughts flickered to the Cloud Guardian, an immediate reaction of fear from the weak boy. As he hurriedly got dressed and grabbed his bag, ready to make a mad dash for it, he realized how quiet it had gotten the past two days since Ayame fell sick.

His mother sang out a greeting to him as he sailed down the stairs, almost tripping as he grabbed a piece of toast off the plate. Ryo was already up and waiting, a healthy and content glow to his face, as if he had eaten a scrumptious breakfast.

He opened the door as Tsuna quickly slipped his feet into his shoes, and together they ran out into the street towards the direction of Namimori Middle.

"So, Tsuna, what are the odds you are going to be late today?" Ryo asked casually as they ran together.

"What do you mean I'm going to be late today?" Tsuna shrieked, turning towards the male. "You're beside me, aren't you- hieeeeeeee!"

Ryo was in front of Tsuna, his legs accommodated to a slow pace of jogging while Tsuna was frantically pushing his limbs to run faster.

"I could just leave you here," Ryo sang to the brunette, now jogging backwards slowly and aggravating said male.

"Hieee! Don't you dare?" Tsuna shrieked once more, stepping up his pace to catch up with Ryo.

Just as they turned the corner, they bumped into Gokudera and Yamamoto, the latter absorbed in reading a book about baseball while the former was yakking at him for doing things that would be a hindrance to Tsuna.

"Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto!" Tsuna greeted happily, before he tripped over his shoelace ungracefully.

Before Tsuna's face kissed the ground again though, Ryo leapt into action and scooped said brunette up into his arms. A bright red blush crept onto the brunette's face, and he became extremely flustered once he learned of his position.

Gokudera then begun to yell at Ryo for making 'his Tenth uncomfortable', while Yamamoto glanced up and happily exclaimed a greeting, along with an apology for 'not seeing them earlier'.

"U-um, Ryo, you can p-put me d-down," Tsuna stammered, face flushed as he tried not to struggle and flail his arms.

"Of course," Ryo smirked, placing the brunette onto his feet. "Honestly, Tsunayoshi, you are like a _princess._"

"Hieee, I am not!" Tsuna shrieked once more; face flushing even redder than before.

This kept Ryo entertained throughout the walk to the school, with Tsuna denying any 'princess' traits, Gokudera cursing and scolding Ryo, Yamamoto's face in his book, absorbed in the methods of a good baseball game, Ryohei and Kyoko joining them a minute later near the gates.

"Herbivores," A cold voice sliced through their fun like a knife. "Stop crowding around and get into school, or _I'll bite you to death._"

"Hieee, yes, Hibari-san!" Tsuna shrieked before quickly proceeding through the gates.

"Bastard, don't order the Tenth around," Gokudera started, but was pushed through the gates by Yamamoto, who was still reading.

"Let's go to school quickly to the EXTREME!" Ryohei yelled, pumped as he walked through the gates with his sister.

Behind them, Ryo wore a serene smile, one of amusement and content as he strolled past the steel gates. Glancing at Hibari and smirking as the latter raised a steel tonfa, he intertwined his fingers and placed them at the back of his head, following the group towards class.

It wasn't that he wasn't worried about Ayame. Yesterday, he'd thought it over, about all those times she was ill but always pulled through. It gave him some hope, a form of clinging onto a piece of shattered glass that he'd hope to fix with his bare hands.

_She'll pull through, _he thought to himself, smirking as he proceeded to class with Tsuna, Yamamoto, Gokudera and Kyoko. After all, she is Ayame _Akanke._

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that , now I'm off to go write chapter 4 for my other story xD See you !


	9. Chapter 9

**DA Chap 9**

**thearistocrat:** _Aww I know, right? This is gonna be a kinda like slow-developing story, especially the relationship part, but they're getting there C: Enjoy this chapter!_

**PEOPLE! WE'RE REACHING THE DOUBLE DIGITS C; THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT 3 !**

* * *

Chirping cheerfully, a tiny swallow flew down to rest on a branch outside of a window in a certain school. Soon after, the chime of the school bell rang throughout the whole school to signal recess time, and the hallways were packed with students, loudly chattering about how difficult the previous Math class was, what they had for lunch, and video games.

Hibari was up on the rooftop, all alone again as he dozed lightly, ears perking up when he heard the door swing open.

"See, I told you he'd be here," A cranky voice grumbled, but Hibari remained still with his eyes shut.

"Is he still sleeping?" A more cheerful voice laughed, to which a loud smack – a punch to the shoulder, by the sounds of it – was heard.

"Shh, you'll wake him up!" A more girlish voice sounded, frantic.

_Sawada Tsunayoshi, Gokudera Hayato, Takeshi Yamamoto, _Hibari could tell that those were the three intruders invading his privacy… and his sleep, as well.

However, the skylark didn't get up; choosing instead to keep his eyes closed and ignore them. The trio bustled around the roof, and Hibari heard the unmistakable sound of plastic rustling.

_They dared to eat when he was sleeping? _The mere thought of it was incredulous. What were those morons thinking? Did they wish to be on their deathbeds this early? Said skylark was still a tiny bit sleepy, and he had to force himself not to rub a hand over one dreary eye.

Just then, a sharp and startled cry of a bird jolted all four of them out of their peaceful lunch – sleep, for Hibari, and all of them looked up in time to see a small swallow fall out of a nearby tree.

Jumping to his feet, Hibari was up and over the fence at once – surprising the three that were eating on the roof since he had been dozing off. He landed on the ground hard, but the little swallow was safe and sound, cupped in his hands.

Shock was evident on all three faces as Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto rushed to the fence just to witness the sight of Hibari saving the tiny bird. Wildly gaping at Hibari's out-of-character and heroic act, Tsuna's fingers were pushed through the mesh of the wired fence, knuckles white from gripping said fence too tightly in anxiety. Gokudera's and Yamamoto's eyes looked about ready to pop out from their sockets.

"You missed," came a silky voice from the window, its rich timbre soothing to the soul.

Hibari glanced up to see Ryo leaning sitting on the edge of the windowsill, with Ayame staring out beside him, half her face covered by his crossed legs.

"No I didn't," Ayame insisted, pointing to the swallow Hibari held in his palms. "I just hit that baby bird."

"You missed the original target on the tree," Ryo pointed out, and lifted his finger to jab in the direction of the bull's-eye painted on said tree bark.

"Like I said, I just hit that baby bird," was Ayame's stubborn reply.

Rolling his eyes, Ryo simply jumped out of the window and went towards Hibari. Still cupping the baby swallow, he shifted it ever so gently so he held it in on hand. With the other, he pushed himself off the floor.

"Akanke," He regarded Ryo first, "What are you doing?"

"Teaching my sister how to aim properly," Ryo smirked, barely giving the skylark a glance as he turned his gaze up to his sister leaning out of the window.

This caused the skylark to growl as the twins carried on their conversation without turning to face him at least once. Irritated, Hibari stalked away with the baby bird in his hand, wanting to tend to its wounds sooner so it could return to the sky and the trees, where it belonged.

"I can _so _aim properly, Ryo," Ayame huffed as she leapt out of the window.

Just then, Hibari had realized something, and turned to face the female.

"Akanke," He snapped at her, raising a steel tonfa. "What are you doing up?"

"I'm all recovered, Kyoya," She told him, her face giving nothing away as her usual mask was up again.

"Humph," Hibari grunted in reply before turning back to head towards his 'nap room' to go treat the injured baby bird.

"Kyoya, where are you going?" She inquired as she followed the Cloud Guardian as if she were his shadow. "What are you going to do to the baby bird?"

Ayame was very well aware of the three pairs of bewildered eyes pinned on the three of them, and turned to regard the still-stumped trio on the rooftop.

"Hey you three, stop gaping," She yelled up at them with a huge grin. "You'll catch flies!"

Then, she turned and raced after the Cloud Guardian, who could no longer stand a minute of being in a crowd anymore, and had left the twins and the trio up on the roof with the baby swallow in his hands.

"Remember to go to class!" Ryo yelled after his sister as she ran after Hibari. "Jeez, that girl always makes decisions on impulse."

"W-will she be alright?" Tsuna whispered to his companions, worried for the girl's safety as she went after Hibari so boldly. Despite Ayame being so strong, she'd just recovered from her fever, and she would still be considered "weak", for now. At least, that was their theory.

"Ah, no need to worry about her," Ryo's voice made Tsuna shriek and jump more into the fence.

He had suddenly teleported from down there on the first floor where the garden was splayed out beautifully, to the roof of the school in mere seconds. A smile graced his pale lips, and his crimson eyes were weary, his arms folded in a protective, tense stance although his legs belied his tension by seeming to be very relaxed with his weight rested on one foot.

"Where did you come from?" Yamamoto chortled at the sudden appearance of said male. Apparently, the baseball professional found this piece of information rather amusing.

"The ground," Ryo let a smirk slip onto his lips as he glanced at the Rain Guardian. "Well, let's talk our lunch now, shall we? Lunch period will be over soon."

"Ah, okay."

* * *

Throughout the whole school, chatter filled the air as the school bell signaled the end of recess. Everybody packed their finished lunches as they got up and left for classes, including teachers as they went back to hectic school life.

"Don't you have classes," growled a rather pissed-off Hibari as he darted about, tending to the wounds of a little swallow while a certain female with jet-black hair and closed eyes continued to observe his work and point out the flaws.

"I'm actually excused for today," was her reply to his almost-question. "So I decided, I'd bug my _favorite _Cloud Guardian."

Rolling his eyes, but accepting his fate, he let her stand there and correct him, trying his best to ignore said female as he continued to treat the swallow. Soon, medication had been applied to the one injured wing, and he was wrapping it up carefully in gauze.

"Aww," Ayame crooned teasingly at the skylark's caution. "Somebody has a soft spot for tiny animals."

Hibari growled at her, carefully setting the swallow down into a box stuffed with cotton. The little bird chirped up at Hibari as if thanking him, then hopped around the box, exploring it.

Ayame leaned over and peered into the box at the tiny swallow.

"It's a baby," She crooned again, almost like a purr, which made the swallow look up in pure terror.

"You're scaring it already," Hibari chided her, crossing his arms at the female. "Don't act like a cat."

"I'm not acting like a cat," She purred at him, lifting the back of her hand to her mouth like it was a paw. "I'm a tiger."

"No difference," He grunted in reply, arms still crossed as they both continued to observe the swallow. "They're both from the cat family."

"There is a difference," She pointed lifted a hand and lazily pointed at him. "Tigers are way bigger and cuter."

"Humph, whatever."

Three little chirps interrupted their fight as the swallow struggled to fly with one wing. They stared at the creature, trying to figure out what it wanted.

"Does he want food or something?" Ayame blinked down at the bird that was flitting around its confinement.

"I don't have any bird food," Hibari told her, watching the swallow hopped around.

"Then how do you even feed Hibird?" An eyebrow was raised along with her question.

"With… food?" He furrowed his brow at her, showing some sign of irritation at last. "He eats what I give him."

"And what do you normally give him?"

"Bits of steak."

"Idiot, you don't feed birds steak," She brought her palm up to her face and a loud smack was produced.

"Hibird eats steak."

"That's not the point! Don't you have any normal bird food?"

"I already told you, Hibird eats steak, so I don't have any normal bird food."

"Oh god, it's a miracle Hibird hasn't developed into a fully-grown dinosaur or something."

"Dinosaurs don't exist in this world."

"Go out and buy bird food for the poor thing before it starves," Ayame stared at the Cloud Guardian through her closed gaze.

"Fine, don't do anything stupid." With that said, he left.

"What does he think I'll do?" She glanced down at the swallow as it tilted its head up at her. "Does he think I'll toss you out of the window or something?"

The tiny fowl just stared up at her with its beady eyes and chirped shrilly, its reply was of no help at all since it didn't know how to speak. Folding her arms onto the table, Ayame tilted her head and rested her cheek on her arm. A tiny frown laced her lips as she observed the tiny creature hop about, thinking about her first battle with Gokudera, and Uri.

It hadn't been her fault that he'd decided to toss the little cat out at her during their battles. In truth, Ayame actually adored animals. However, the story was different in battles. Like she'd said, she had absolutely no qualms about getting rid of anything in her way, and that was probably why Hibari told her "not to do anything stupid."

The simple thought of Hibari actually _caring _for animals – tiny animals that seemed so much more insignificant to human lives – made her heart and skin tingle with warmth. He cared about the animals more than a person, which was the way he was.

Slowly, she lowered a finger and poked the little fowl on its soft, feathered head. It gave a chirp, and she patted it with her finger, earning happy tweets from the tiny creature as it enjoyed the attention.

Her thoughts drifted back to when she had been sick just yesterday, and how Hibari had cared for her for two whole days. Really, she'd thought he'd give up about halfway and leave her there to rot and die. He didn't strike Ayame as a person that would actually care about his team – not that they actually were a team.

Wetting her lips with her moist tongue, she lifted the swallow out of its box, resting its weight on the centre of her palm, stroking its pretty navy feathers and admiring it. It had tiny wings, but those wings would let it fly when it recovered. Humans, forever trapped on the ground, wanted one thing – the ability to fly. It would allow them to touch the sky, to dance with the clouds, to kiss the rain first thing if there was a downpour, to feel the sun on their face…

"Get well soon, little one," She whispered to the swallow as she laid a soft kiss on its forehead.

"Hibari! Hibari!"

"Hm?" Ayame lifted her head to see a fluffy yellow bird enter the room through the open window. "Ah, Hibird."

"Ayame, Ayame," The yellow bird chirped, before joining the swallow on her hand. "Midori tanabiku…"

"You like to sing, huh?" She smiled down at both fowls in her cupped hand. "You're so cute."

The swallow chirped loudly, as if in a protest to the extra fluffy creature that was stealing the attention it was basking in. Hibird just fluffed out his feathers more and began to sing, but the swallow leaned against him and attempted to push Hibird out of Ayame's hand.

"Hey now," She chided softly as she cupped Hibird in her palm again to prevent the yellow mass of fluffiness from falling out. "Play nice."

Both birds chirped together, nudging, then snuggling together as they closed their eyes and napped. Slices of golden sunshine filtered through the gaping window, and the curtains lifted with the slightest breeze, Ayame felt sleepy in the summer wind. Slowly, she lowered the two creatures into the box again, covering them with a tiny blanket of tissue before she lowered her head onto her arms once more, feeling the warm glow of the sun and the cooling sensations of the breeze lull her to sleep in a silent lullaby…

* * *

Hibari had just spent about half an hour in the pet shop trying to figure out which was the best brand of food to feed a wild baby swallow. He refused to ask the shopkeeper for help, despite the latter offering aid in the form of advice and tips, and finally left the shop bundled with bags of all kinds of food.

Now why did he agree to this errand again? Although he didn't mind shopping for little animals, and feeding them, he was more of wondering why he was obliging to do so just because Ayame said so- no, he was also doing this for the baby swallow.

Sighing irritably, he juggled the plastic bags as he headed back towards the school, hearing the fourth period bell go off in the distance. Just two more hours of hell for the students, he realized as he smirked, and he wondered if he could fight the baby or Ayame today. She did mention the nurse told her to rest today.

Somehow though, he couldn't comprehend it – her fever refused to go down, yet now she seemed perfectly fine, as if she hadn't even fallen sick in the first place. Apart from that, Ryo had mentioned something about 'training her aim'.

He didn't realize it, but he was walking quicker just so he could get back to the room to feed the swallow, and admittedly, to see her face again. Ever since she had been sick, her face had been so pale, her lips so dry and her body so fragile and broken that it seemed like she was just going to slip away from him. Now, her face had a healthier glow, her lips that shade of soft pink again, her body cranking out body heat and strong once more, and she was so alive- he could really kiss the ground for that, but of course, he wouldn't. She was just a girl, for God's sake, and he was not going to break apart because of one female.

One aggravating, annoying, needy, strong, powerful girl; one that he'd give his life in exchange for just to make sure she was okay; one that he knew he wouldn't ever let go of… That one female, he wasn't going to break apart over. However, it just seemed that God loved to play with him, since God had tossed this female in his path right now.

Why him? Why now? Questions raced through the skylark's mind, but none seemed to piece together. Other than that, he was also focused on actually getting back to school right at the moment that he didn't sense it.

* * *

Emerald eyes followed the skylark as he made his way through the gates of Namimori Middle, pinned onto the smooth stride he had in his walk.

"Ooh, he's so handsome I could eat him up!"

"Cho, you're thinking too far ahead."

"Shut up, Mark. It's not like you know how to pick girls up."

"I so do! Ladies are attracted to my charm, you just don't know, because you have weird taste in guys."

"My taste in guys is not weird! I am totally out of your league!"

"Whatever, why do you even want that stuck-up, arrogant Cloud Guardian of the Vongola anyway?"

"You don't understand his true prowess… the power to make Ayame Akanke _hurt even more than physically._"

"Are you talking about the matters of the heart now? 'Cause I really don't get it."

"Oh, shush, you ruined my moment! Go wallow in that corner there and stop ruining my moments!"

"Hah, like you had any moments in the first place."

"What did you say?"

* * *

"Akanke."

A voice – a deep, soothing, rich timbre of a voice – reached out to Ayame in her nap, dragging her up and away from the dreary blackness of unconsciousness. Barely opening her eyelids since she was still half-floating in wonderland, she tried to connect the smooth silky voice to the people she knew.

"Akanke, wake up."

Only one person called her and Ryo by their first name. She opened her eyes halfway and stared up at Hibari through her sultry lashes sleepily, before her gaze drifted to the numerous bags of food.

"What did you buy so many for?" She furrowed her brow, and then closed her eyes again in their usual fashion before she attempted to sit up. "We've only got two birds to feed."

"I didn't know which to buy," Hibari explained as he dumped the red bags onto the tabletop before he turned to peek into the box that contained said fowls. "They're sleeping."

"Mm, yeah," She muttered, rubbing one eye as she stretched her free arm, letting out a yawn as she pawed the sleeps away from her eyes.

_Big cat, _Hibari thought as he went through the plastic bags to find the so-called 'perfect' product he had read on the label.

"What did you get?" Ayame asked, tilting her head to glance up at him through closed eyes as she now pawed through the plastic bags. "Besides the many cans of bird food."

"Well, there's one for canaries, one for swallows, one for ducks…" Hibari went through the list that the shopkeeper had so graciously given to him for better, detailed instructions.

"Well let's give the swallow the one for swallows," She stretched again as she peered into the box at the still-dozing fowls. "I've been wondering… what kind of a bird is Hibird?"

"He's a canary," Hibari answered as he opened up the food to pour into a tin bowl he bought at the store as well.

"A canary? He looks so fluffy that I think he's a chick." Ayame stopped the skylark before he poured too much food.

"Chicks can't fly."

"I know that," She rolled her closed eyes at him somehow, and then stared at the birds. "Should we wake them up?"

"Leave them be," was Hibari's reply. "When they get hungry they'll wake up immediately and eat."

"Oh, okay." She rocked back on her chair, letting tiny scraping noises fill in the silence between them. "It's really peaceful…"

"School hasn't ended, so nobody is sneaking about in the canteen," said the skylark as he let out a soft yawn. "I should be prowling the premises for some delinquent activity, but I've got people on the job."

"Yeah, your fan club," She yawned right back. Yawns were contagious, she thought to herself offhandedly. "Why do they all have such a weird hairstyle, though?"

"I don't know," Hibari grunted, folding his arms at her in frustration. "Stop asking me questions, why don't you ask them instead?"

"Nah, I'll stay here and annoy you," She smiled at him brightly and innocently. "I like it when you get all ruffled up because of my little remarks."

"… Shut up."

"This is boring, Kyoya," The Wind Guardian moaned in a complaint as she rocked her chair harder, almost falling off when she did so.

Hibari's hand caught the back of her chair as he glared at her icily.

"Don't spoil the school's chairs." He warned her before he got up and adjusted his jacket.

"Where are you going?" She questioned, tilting her head up to look at him so she wouldn't rock the chair.

"To patrol the school."

"Don't you have your… fan club for that?" She raised an eyebrow at the male, who was already halfway out of the door.

"Yes, but they're probably tired." Hibari told her as he stepped out of the room. "If you're going to follow me, leave the window open so Hibird can fly out if he wants to."

"Okay," Ayame replied, not moving an inch from her spot as she stared at the two birds, still asleep.

* * *

Seconds passed. A minute, and then two, then five. Hibari continued to walk, waiting for the moment when the Wind Guardian would come rushing after him to annoy and irritate him even more.

Waiting proved to be excruciatingly painful, as seven minutes passed and Hibari still strode down the empty hallways alone. Suddenly, a figure was right beside him, and he didn't even have to glance down to know it was a female with long black hair and a smiley expression on her face.

Silence was shared between the pair as they both strode through the hallway – Hibari taking silent, confident steps, Ayame taking small, bouncy steps. He had his hands on his tonfas, ready to bite any troublemakers to death, and she was just relaxed, her thumbs hooked into the loops of her belt.

* * *

"Hie, don't do that, Gokudera-kun!" A familiar voice shrieked out, and Hibari's eyes slid towards the classroom door.

A loud explosion followed the scream, and immediately Hibari headed towards the classroom, irritated and tonfas ready. Ayame, smiling, was right behind him when he opened the door so hard it slammed into the wall, causing all the inhabitants in the classroom to look up in shock and horror.

"What's going on here," Hibari demanded to know, tonfas raised as his lips pulled backed into a snarl.

"Ah, it's the hottie!" A blonde cheerfully chirped, sword raised in the air at a certain brunette male's throat.

Ryo was on alert, his weapon out, Gokudera was already shouting and making a scene with his dynamites, Yamamoto was trying to calm them down, the rest of the class was cowering in the corner while a male with bright orange hair was standing in front of them, chewing on a banana.

"Cho," Ayame's voice rang out loud and clear, dangerously laced with tints of irritation and anger, "Put Tsunayoshi down."

"Ah, ah, ah," Cho tutted, raising a finger to waggle it in the female's face, "I'm taking this little man hostage."

"Whatever for?" Ryo's eyes were narrowed, his pole ready to slam into her body at any given time.

"Shouldn't we take the other male instead?" Banana boy mumbled through his snack as he eyed Hibari.

"Oi, you put the Tenth down!" Gokudera shouted, waving his bombs in the air.

"Gokudera, calm down," Yamamoto was holding the silvernette back. "You'll blow up the entire school if you don't!"

Disinterest flickered onto Ayame's face, and then she turned with a smile to the class.

"I think you all better leave, now," She said, smiling sweetly at the innocent teens as she walked over to the classroom door and opened it. "Teacher, I entrust that you'll bring them to safety."

"Freaks!" The class and teacher yelled before fleeing for their lives.

Once the door slid close, Ayame's sweet façade dropped, and she turned sharply to leer dangerously at the two intruders.

"What were you thinking, you asshole," She hissed, obviously pissed off as she slid one dagger from her boot. "This is a _public _school, for crying out loud, and there are _normal _people here. You could've caused a panic in the town by pulling off such a stunt!"

"Don't be so uptight, idiot," Cho sneered, still holding Tsuna hostage. "It's not like any of them will go crying to their mommies and daddies."

"That's exactly what they'll do," Ayame continued to leer at the female. "Because they are _ordinary citizens _with no fucking idea that Mafioso exists!"

"You're over thinking this," The strawberry-blonde flicked her hair. "We'll kill them before they rat on us."

"That'll get the police involved, you stupid," The Wind Guardian snarled, very pissed off by the insensitivity of said blonde.

"Let the Tenth go!" Gokudera was still fussing and kicking and shouting at the blonde, dynamites rolling out of his hands.

Yamamoto was busy rushing about, putting out the dynamites quickly while Tsuna watched helplessly, held by the sword to his throat. Watching the anxiety dancing in the brunette's eyes just made Ayame even more irritated as a vein popped up on the back of her head. Seriously, did Cho have to go and create a mess like this, and in the school, nonetheless?

Secretly, she glanced at the skylark, who had his eyes so narrowed they were gleams of silver, tonfas raised so dangerously that they screamed death, ready to pounce on and tear apart these two intruders.

Seconds ticked by, and nobody moved a muscle. One move and Cho could've slashed Tsuna's neck, causing the brunette to die, resulting in a loss of their precious boss and depression amongst the team. Ayame eyed Cho, Ryo eyed Mark, and Hibari was just glaring at all of them for causing so much damn trouble.

In a flash, Ayame stepped forward and had Tsuna out of Cho's dangerous grasp, and the brunette male fell onto the floor as the females' weapons clashed together.

Mark was suddenly attacked by Ryo, and Hibari was getting more irritated by the second as they fought each other. Dagger met sword, pole met spear, Tsuna was shrieking and trying to scramble out of the way, Gokudera was yelling and swearing, trying to get his weapons to join the fight, Yamamoto was busy helping Tsuna get away from the scuffle.

Steel met steel as Ayame and Cho began a dance of the blades, the former switching between her katana and twin daggers simultaneously. Ryo's pole was pushing back against Mark's spear, and both males were growling like wild wolves battling over a piece of meat.

Hibari's eye twitched. A tonfa raised higher. One step forward. Both of the intruders fell as a tonfa hit them right on the head, a pissed off skylark above them.

"Do not make a mess of my school," Hibari told them as a last-minute warning after they went down, large bumps sticking out of their heads.

"Thank you for taking care of that trash," Ayame had no hint of gratitude in her voice whatsoever as she dragged the two of them over to a nearby window and tossed them out.

"Tsunayoshi, are you alright?" She then turned to the male after finishing up clearing the rubbish from the scene.

"I-I-I'm fine," Tsuna stuttered, still stumped by the sudden attack that had taken place.

"He's definitely traumatized," Ryo smirked as he put his pole back into its special sheath on his back.

"Definitely," Ayame agreed as she poked the male in his shoulder.

The bell rang then, signaling the next lesson.

"Akanke, follow me." Hibari got up and started to walk out. "The rest of you, don't do anything stupid."

Silently, he strode out of the room, and Ayame turned to follow him.

"We'll have to erase the class's memories," She whispered to Ryo as she passed. "Give a call to Lexon and tell him it's code blue."

"Of course," He murmured back silently, lips barely moving as if they contained an unspoken secret. "Right then, I'll have to make a few arrangements so the class doesn't blabber about this. If you'll excuse me."

Pulling out his cell phone, Ryo punched in a few numbers quickly before putting the device to his ear and turning away from the group. Immediately Gokudera rushed over to Tsuna and started to fuss over the boss like a mother hen, while Yamamoto bent down and patted Tsuna on his back, commending the boy on putting up with being held hostage so maturely.

"Yeah, that's right." Ryo muttered, phone about plastered to his ear, his knuckles turning white from gripping the device too tightly. "Right now, Lexon, that'd be helpful."

As soon as Ryo hung up the phone, the classroom window slid open and a hooded figure stepped in, off the tree branch he had been standing on. The group just gaped at the strangely-dressed intruder, wide-eyed as the man merely just brushed the dirt off his coat.

"Lexon," Ryo greeted, giving the hooded figure a pat on his shoulder, a wry smile on his lips. "It's good to see you after so long."

"You never really needed a memory cleansing," Lexon's voice was hoarse, like a whisper, dreary and able to send shivers down one's spine. "What's the reason for one now?"

"Cho broke in here while the class was still in session," Ryo grimaced at his friend. "Ayame should be calling the class back in soon."

Just then, the door slid open, and the teacher from before and the class filed in, along with the next period teacher. On seeing the group enter, Ryo straightened and bowed down to them.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused," He offered, before he straightened and gave a mysterious smile.

Flashing bright, a light glowed and a huge scythe appeared in Lexon's hands. The class roared with screams of fright at the sight of the heavy-plated weapon, and when he lifted it, some of the girls fainted. Time seemed to pause as everything and everyone in the room fell into shades of monochrome, and the people froze in their places, mouths agape and eyes wide.

With a mighty swing, a flash occurred and a stream of glowing film filled the room. Tsuna could just see through the brightly-filtered pictures the evidence of Cho entering the classroom through the door, walking over to him and then holding a sword to his throat.

Suddenly, just as bright as those pictures had been, they were gone. Gaps of black now filled their places, and it was as if Cho had never existed in their memories, as if Tsuna hadn't been threatened at all.

Said brunette heaved a sigh of relief. At least the normal folk wouldn't be dragged into the weird world of Mafia, he thought as the now-edited film returned to their owners' heads. The monochrome faded and everything regained its color.

"Thank you- !" Tsuna turned to thank Lexon when the hooded male just disappeared. "Where'd he go?"

"Lexon doesn't stick around, Tsunayoshi," Ryo told him in quiet, clipped tones. He was still tense. "Plus, he doesn't really like the sunlight."

The brunette glanced to the windows, where sunlight filtered through merrily and brightly, lighting up the whole classroom.

"Oh, my head hurts," The students at the front moaned. "What happened?"

"We were all playing a game a tag," Ryo purred, smiling innocently. "It was while we were waiting for you, Mr. Yoshiro. Since Tsunayoshi, Gokudera, Yamamoto and I were 'it', you all naturally ran to the front, crashed into the teacher, and fainted. Mr. Yoshiro had entered then, and upon crashing into all of you, fainted as well."

"Oh," The two teachers and students chorused.

"Well, I'll leave the class to you then, Yoshiro," The previous period teacher tilted his cap and left.

"That was so far-fetched, I can't believe they believed it," Tsuna muttered under his breath as everybody got back to their seats.

"Believe it," Ryo smiled like the angel he was. "After all, I don't have a reputation of blowing things up."

"What's that supposed to mean, you bastard?" Gokudera hissed, slamming his fists against the wooden surface of his desk.

"Hayato! Don't hit the tables! Answer this question here."

* * *

"It seems like the little guy's all healed up," Ayame told Hibari, cradling the swallow in the hands. "I think it's time to let him fly."

Without saying a word, Hibari opened up the window smoothly, eyes on the crimson and orange strewn sky. School was about to end soon, and the skylark had been waiting for the bell.

Ayame approached the window, and Hibird appeared; a tiny silhouette in the sky. It sung its sweet melody proudly, making the swallow tilt its head and chirp.

On seeing its friend flying so freely, the inspired baby swallow stepped forward, timid but encouraged. Ayame cupped it firmly in her hands, swallowing back tears of joy as she prepared to give it a little launch into its limitless freedom in the sky.

"Goodbye, little one," She said with a soft kiss to its feathered head. "Take care of yourself."

Her hands descended, then pushed up, and the little swallow opened its wings, flapping frantically and trying to stay balanced in the shifting air currents. Hibird flew beside it, chirping sweet words of encouragement while the two humans watched from the window.

Flying together, the two fowls took off into the sunset, and Ayame was sure that Hibird was friends with the swallow now.

"Akanke," came Hibari's dangerous voice.

"What?"

"… Don't cry, you baby."

Despite the harsh undertone of his words, he pressed a handkerchief to the maiden's right eye, dabbing at the wetness that was lingering there.

"I was just thinking," She replied, taking the handkerchief from him and ignoring the jolt of electricity when their hands met. "The freedom it has… How long I've lusted for it..."

"Shut up, Akanke."

A warm sensation, soft and tempting, landed on her cheek, and the female turned to catch a glimpse of the skylark walking away, out of the room. Placing a hand on her cheek, she smiled to herself. There was no use denying it after all. They were both obsessed.

After all, that was just how sweet a dangerous addiction could be.

* * *

I rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrike this ending 3 . LOL. Hope you enjoyed , happy holidays and merry christmas C; !


	10. Chapter 10

**DA Chap 10**

_Review replies time!_

**thearistocrat: **Thanks for your support c: ! Enjoy !

**kirichancute: **Thanks for reviewing , have a happy new year c: !

**Whaaaaaaat? Only 2? What happened to the rest of my readers ? -sulks- Ohwell ... By the way , guys , got any good animes to recommend ? I'm currently watching Wolf's Rain.**

**On another note , WE'VE REACHED THE DOUBLE DIGITS . WOOHOO . This chapter was quite difficult to churn out due to writer's block . However , things will pick up in the later chapters , since we've hit the bottom of the climax hill ! Enjoy !**

* * *

"Tsunayoshi, I'm bored," Ayame complained as she sat on her makeshift cushion bed.

When the brunette didn't reply, she drawled out again in a moan, "Tsunayoshi, I'm bored."

Again, the brunette didn't reply.

"Tsunayoshiiiiii, I'm boreddddddd," She drawled out, longer this time.

"Ayame, I'm doing my homework!" The brunette male finally shrieked, about to slam his pencil down and tear out his beautiful toffee hair in frustration at the female with closed eyes.

The pair stared at each other for a few, silent, strained moments. Reborn watched this scenario with quiet contentment from his handmade hammock, an unreadable smirk on his baby face. Moments passed, and tension was strung high in the air. Ryo spoilt this silence by sucking loudly on his raspberry lollipop, a book on his lap, his legs rested on the table as if he were a boss. His eyes were on the pair as well. Then…

"Tsunayoshi, I'm bored~"

* * *

_How did I end up here? _Tsuna thought as he trudged behind a humming Ayame and Ryo, Reborn sitting on his shoulder. All four of them were currently at the mall, shopping for new clothes.

"Tsunayoshi, you should try this!" Ayame pulled out a tank top that belonged in the girls' section.

"That's for girls!" Tsuna shrieked at her, tears forming at the corner of his eyes. Really, all he wanted was to spend the day doing and completing his homework since it was the weekend, but no, she had to get him off his ass and drag him to a mall, of all places.

Said female continued to rummage through the clothes that were on sale, and her brother was picking out a new jacket, for the reason that "his jacket was torn and old".

Surprisingly, this felt pretty normal, Tsuna thought to himself. Going shopping with friends and hanging out, it was as if they weren't involved in the Mafia at all.

"What about this one, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna glanced up and saw the female holding up another tank top, blue this time, and it had tiny white polka dots scattered all over it.

"It's fine," He suppressed a yawn. "They're your clothes, you choose."

"Hmm, okay," She hummed before she grabbed an armful of clothes that she had chosen before and headed to the dressing room.

"I guess Ayame is really a girl, huh?" Tsuna blinked after the female.

"What do you mean by that, Tsunayoshi?" Ryo blinked down at him, holding a jacket in the air to admire its black physique.

"Well… Coming to a mall, trying on clothes, asking others' opinions… seems like a very normal thing a girl does, isn't it?" The brunette said, innocence lacing his voice.

"You're a kid, Tsunayoshi, a kid," Ryo sighed at him, before going up to the cashier to pay for his jacket. "I guess so, though, it is a very normal thing to do."

"At first glance, you two are just normal people," Tsuna stated, chocolate eyes scanning the racks of clothes in the store. "People don't know your story."

"Nobody does, Tsunayoshi," The Rain Guardian whispered in a soft tone. "Nobody does."

* * *

Soon they sat in a café, and Tsuna could hardly believe the amount of clothes Ayame had bought. When you thought about her foolhardy, determined and fight-obsessed personality, you'd never think a girl like her would enjoy shopping.

"So, what are we going to do after this?" Tsuna asked as he took a sip of his milk.

"Think up a plan," Ryo replied, munching on his donut. "After what Cho pulled off yesterday, there is no predicting when she'll pop out next."

"So you think she's going to attack me again?" A hint of panic laced the young boss's voice. "Why the hell am I even dragged into this?"

"That's because you're Vongola's boss," Ayame pointed out, dipping her spoon into her sundae.

"Haven't people already aimed for you before?" Ryo questioned, curiosity furrowing his brow as he pointed his frappe's straw at the brunette.

"Um… I don't really remember," Tsuna muttered. "Oh, once, I think… Verde sent these men after me…"

"Ah yes, those guys in the weird suits," Ayame butted in, putting her spoon into her mouth. The taste of cool metal and soft, vanilla ice-cream made her melt.

"Don't just read my memories without my permission!" The young brunette screeched, hands grabbing at the air in frustration at the female.

"Tsunayoshi, you're too loud," The twins said at the same time before turning to glance at each other.

"Pft-."

"Ahahahaha!"

_It's really great, _Tsuna thought as he smiled at the laughing twins. _They're enjoying themselves here. It's the first time… I've seen them laugh ever since they arrived here…_

* * *

"Mm, let's head back now," Ayame told Tsuna. "I've shopped enough today, and I've got enough clothes to last me a lifetime!"

"This is the first time I've ever heard Ayame say something a normal girl would say," Tsuna muttered, putting his hands into his pockets.

Immediately, a dagger was at his throat.

"Hah, what did you say?" She demanded, anger rising in her voice.

"Hieee! I said nothing, nothing at all!"

* * *

"U-waah! Home sweet home!" Ayame sighed as she flopped onto her makeshift bed. "I feel like sleeping already."

_She is definitely not normal, _Tsuna thought to himself as he moved past the female to his desk to continue doing the homework he'd been doing earlier before she had so rudely interrupted.

Soon later, light snores filled the air, and Tsuna put his pencil down. Stretching a little to accommodate his stiffness, he glanced down at the maiden sleeping beside his desk on her makeshift bed.

It was peaceful, at last. No bombing, yelling, cursing, extreme activities or biting people to death. Reborn had went out with Nana once they reached home, along with Lambo and I-pin, so only he, Ayame and Ryo were left in the house. Tsuna glanced up at the sky through the closed window, and then stood up to open it so fresh air would come in.

Ryo was on another chair, a book over his face – the brunette couldn't tell whether he was giving up in exasperation on reading the text, or sleeping, until Tsuna bent nearer and heard light snores.

_Both of them are sleeping, _Tsuna sweatdropped. _And I've finished my homework… what to do? I could call Gokudera or Yamamoto to hang out with, but they might be occupied with homework too… or perhaps they've made other plans already._

"Jeez…"

"Eh?" Tsuna turned to the dozing female, who had one eye opened and staring at him.

"Stop thinking already Tsunayoshi," The girl moaned, pulling a pillow over her face. "You're so noisy."

"That's why I said don't read my thoughts without permission!" He shrieked back, clutching at tufts of his hair.

"You were thinking too loudly that even I could hear," She mumbled back at him. "Go call Yamamoto or Gokudera and shut up."

With that said, the maiden left the pillow draped over her face and apparently, went back to sleep.

"Right… I'll give them a call then," Tsuna sweatdropped again as he reached for his mobile.

"Troublesome, isn't she?" came Ryo's voice from behind the brunette.

"Ah, no, it's not that, I just-!" Tsuna stammered, flushing as he remembered Ryo was protective of Ayame. "Um…"

"It's fine," The Rain Guardian said, book in hand. "Will you let her sleep on your bed for now? It's uncomfortable for her neck if she continues to sleep in the scrunched up position."

"Ah, sure…" Tsuna scratched his cheek, phone to his ear.

"Tenth? You're calling me? I'm so happy! Tenth is calling me!" Gokudera yelled excitedly over the phone, and for the next few moments, whoops and yells of glee came from the silvernette.

"Ah, yeah, I was thinking, were you done with your homework?" Tsuna asked his silvernette subordinate as he watched Ryo carefully lift Ayame up from her makeshift bed to his and pull the blanket over her.

With tentative care, he tucked her in, pushing the blanket under the female's body so any wind wouldn't blow in. After he was done, Ryo leaned in and gave his sister a kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep well, baby sister," He murmured, then looked over the at the brunette, who jolted and realized that the gushing silvernette was still on the line.

"Ah, right, Gokudera-kun, would you like to hang out today? T-that is, if you've finished your h-homework."

"Yes, I've done it already!"

"Alright, then I'll meet you and Yamamoto at the park in 15 minutes… Let me give Yamamoto a call first!" Tsuna told the silvernette over the phone as a pair of crimson eyes watched him make awkward hand gestures.

"There's no need Tenth, I have that baseball idiot here with me right now," Gokudera replied. "We'll meet you earlier, say, in 10 minutes, is that okay?"

"Ah, okay," Tsuna managed before the line clicked off and the ended call's droning tone played. "Ryo, are you going to follow us?"

"Yes, and it'll be best if we call Ryohei and Hibari as well," The male told him as he got up to move, a slight breeze lifting his jet-black locks. "We'll be discussing about the matter of Cho's gang. Hurry up and get changed in five minutes."

"Ah, okay!" Tsuna stammered as the former left his room so he could change in privacy – although with a sleeping Ayame on his bed, there was no privacy concerned at all – and he quickly pulled his shirt over his head, reaching for a new one.

"Tsunayoshi, let's go!" Ryo's voice echoed from behind the oak door.

"Um, okay!" Tsuna half-yelled, not wanting to awake the sleeping maiden in his bed.

As the two of them started down the street towards the park, Ayame lay still in her bed, eyes closed, sleeping.

"… Really, those idiots, they forgot to close the window…" She muttered as she drew the blankets tighter around herself. "Damn, it's cold…"

* * *

"… Why the hell am I here." Hibari started as soon as he woke up to find himself chained to a pillar. "And why am I chained up?"

"T-t-t-this is a bad idea, Ryo!" Tsuna stammered, tears welling up in his eyes. "H-Hibari-san hates to be restrained the most!"

"Relax, Tsunayoshi, he can't break through those," Ryo smiled gently at the boss before twisting open the Japanese fan he held in his hand. "Now that I've gathered you all here, let's discuss the matter of Cho's next attack."

"I have a question, to the extreme!" Ryohei yelled out, slamming his hands on the table.

"Relax yourself, Ryohei, and what might it be?" Ryo questioned without taking his wary eyes off the Cloud Guardian, ready to attack and restrain Hibari if he escaped.

"Why is Ayame not here, to the extreme?" The older male gushed in an uncool manner. "Why is the person I look up to the most in fighting not here?"

"_That's _the reason you're looking for her…?" Tsuna sweatdropped at the Sun Guardian, amazed by the idiot's loud bawling.

"Now, now," Yamamoto begun to comfort the crying male, and Gokudera just grunted his displeasure.

"As you all know," Ryo interrupted, looking a little irritated as he picked up a stick and drew something on the soft sand, "Cho is targeting Ayame for 'revenge'."

"So… her gang is?" Gokudera popped the question, looking angry and emitting an equally raging aura from the tree he was leaning against.

"It's the Bludevoir family," came a silky voice from behind the group.

"Dino!" Tsuna exclaimed, turning to find the blonde Sky ring bearer.

"The Bludevoir family?" Ryo scrunched his eyebrows, crimson eyes on the blonde. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I checked her records," Dino nodded and went towards the group. "Although, you guys are discussing this kind of matters outdoors? How daring!"

"Ayame's sleeping at home," The Rain Guardian explained, crossing his arms as his crimson orbs burned into the blonde's forehead. "And I thought the Bludevoir family was brought to extinction by your Callavone family."

"Apparently, there were a few survivors," Dino smiled, embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Romario just informed me of that."

"Idiot, don't keep such valuable information to yourself." Ryo chided, unfolding his arms and trying to think.

"Sorry, I forgot about it." Dino apologized, looking even more embarrassed.

"… Akanke…"

A pair of steel tonfas glistened and flashed in the sunlight before coming down on Ryo.

"Hieee Hibari-san!" Tsuna screamed, shocked that the Guardian had indeed managed to get free.

"Whoa," Dino whistled lowly, making a lunge for the skylark, grabbing the younger's arm. "What happened to your arms, Kyoya?"

"Ask that guy," Hibari jerked his chin over to the smiling Rain Guardian.

"Rain flames…?" Dino questioned, furrowing his brow as he jerked away from Hibari. "Oi, Ryo, what did you do to those chains?"

"Covered them in rain flames, of course," The male replied nonchalantly. "If Hibari was one of Tsuna's guardians, and the strongest one at that, shouldn't he be able to withstand the highest level rain flames?"

"The highest level rain flames?" Dino almost yelled at Ryo, fists clenched as he glanced at his former student on the floor. "You could've killed him!"

"He's alive, isn't he?" Ryo tilted his head, crimson eyes cold as he regarded the Callavone head through narrowed irises. "Your kindness will get you nowhere in the Mafia world, Dino."

"Geez, he's just a kid!" Dino yelled, and all of the Guardians glanced worriedly at that – except for Gokudera, who just muttered something about this being troublesome.

"And Ayame's not?" Ryo's voice was quiet now, but there was no mistaking the edge to it. "Cho's not? I'm not?"

Dino fell silent as the Rain Guardian approached him; all the other people present tensed up at the boiling situation.

"It isn't very fair like that, Dino," The Rain Guardian muttered as he strode right past the Sky Guardian. "It isn't fair at all."

* * *

_This is… even worse than before… _Ayame thought weakly as she grasped at her chest through her nightgown. _What are you doing, Ryo? _Panting heavily, she tried to get off the bed, but could not find the needed strength. Just laying there while her brother tormented himself with evil thoughts, it was unbearable, and she could do nothing at all to help him, not when he was so far away.

Her vision was fading. It had always been like this. Every time he lent her his eye, and he got too emotional, the eye would return. After all, who could cry with one eye? Maybe some people could, but definitely not Ryo.

She understood her brother well, and she knew quite well his heart was being torn in two right about now. His choices were to either protect his beloved sister, or protect his first love, and she knew he would do both if he could, but he couldn't.

"… Heh," She chuckled, bringing up an arm to drape over her closed eyes as she wept along with her brother who wasn't there with her. "This link that ties us together… You should know, right? What you feel, I feel, Ryo…"

* * *

"Che, it's starting to get cloudy again," Gokudera complained, reaching into his bag for an umbrella. "It looks like it's really going to pour down, and I forgot my umbrella, tch."

"Then we better get into some kind of shelter and wait till it blows over," Yamamoto laughed it off immediately.

"Let's go shoot some hoops, to the extreme!" Ryohei butted in with a huge yell.

"Hieee, we can't play basketball in the rain!" Tsuna shrieked, totally freaked out.

"Well, it's not like it's going to rain-…" Dino started, hand raised, but it was then the downpour started.

"You cursed us, pony boy," Hibari grunted, tonfas out and ready to kill the blonde idiot.

"Hieee, Hibari-san, don't do anything rash!" The Vongola Boss shrieked out, freaking out even more than before.

"I'm not doing anything 'rash', I'm just going to bite this blonde idiot of a pony boy to death," Hibari replied simply as he leapt forward in a lunge.

"Oh, lively as usual, hottie," A female's voice sang out from a distance away.

The pink and ribbon-filled umbrella twirled in the rain. It was so tiny that it could only cover one person, and her companion was left soaking. Pink boots terrorized small puddles of rainwater on the ground as their owner marched over to the group, twirling the pink handle of the pink umbrella in her hands – that coincidentally had pink nail polish on them.

"… Who are you?" Hibari asked, an irritated and dark expression covering his face.

"Jeez, how could you forget your own girlfriend?" The female sobbed, wiping her tears away before she lifted the umbrella more and tilted it so it rested on her shoulder and showed her face.

"… Cho…" Dino muttered, almond eyes serious as he reached for his whip.

"Hm? You're here, horse man? That means Ryo must be here as well," Cho tilted her head, letting her strawberry-blond hair fall into her face as she adjusted the obi on her kimono. "Where is he? I don't see him at all."

"He left," Dino managed to get out through his gritted teeth, whip in hand. "Tsuna, you guys stay back. She's dangerous."

"Nobody tells me what to do," Hibari told him, raising the tonfas he held in his hands.

"Tch, he obviously left because he didn't want to see your ugly face," Gokudera cut in, irritated by her mere presence.

"What did you say?" She bristled, shutting the umbrella and moving so fast that the tip of the umbrella's end touched the silvernette's nose.

"Hieee, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna shrieked out, freaking out once more.

"I said you're ugly, got a problem?" The Storm Guardian snarled, pulling out his dynamites.

"Yes I do," She shrieked, swinging the umbrella as if it were a sword, "I'll have you know I sleep eight hours every day just so I don't have eye bags! It's called beauty sleep!"

"More like troll sleep," Gokudera sneered as he backed away from her weapon of choice.

"Why, you-!" She took a step forward, but an arm restrained her.

"Stop it," A male stepped forward, bright orange hair practically glowing in the sunlight. His sharp, blue eyes caught and held Dino's, and both of them exchanged glares.

"Don't stop me, Mark!" Cho screamed, ready to slam her elbow into the male's solar plexus if he hadn't let her go.

_Ah, it's the boy from yesterday, _Tsuna thought, remembering that ginger hair. _So Mark's his name, and he's her accomplice…_

"We're here to talk to Ryo," Mark explained, putting his hand on his hip. "He's always hanging out with you guys, so we thought he'd be around. You know where he is, Callavone?"

"He just suddenly left," Dino answered, eyes still narrowed at the pair, hand on his whip.

"Alright, let's go then, Cho," Mark told the female, turning to leave. His pale skin shone white in the sun, and Tsuna was awed, but intimidated by the purplish tattoos he had on his cheek, right below his eyes.

Though pouting, Cho ran forward to hug the male's arm, and both of them disappeared in a flash of light.

"E-eh, um, that guy…" Tsuna began as they all relaxed from the high tension situation, whispering to Dino.

"Stay away from him, Tsuna," Dino told the male. "Whatever you do, stay away from him."

The blonde walked a few steps, eyes serious, hands in his pockets. Behind him, the group fussed over Tsuna, and none of them could hear Dino's soft words.

"… He's not exactly human."

* * *

"Ciaossu!" Reborn greeted Tsuna as the group went around a corner.

"Hieee!" The brunette shrieked as he fell onto his bottom. "Reborn? What are you doing here? Weren't you shopping with Mama?"

"I had to go to the toilet," Reborn replied with his usual poker face. "Anyway, I have to get back soon, but I heard from Dino that Cho was searching for Ryo?"

"Eh? How'd you know that?" He asked, only to get smacked by the baby tutor.

"I told you, Dino told me." Reborn replied. "Stupid Tsuna, don't let them meet! Or else something bad will happen. That's your mission! Ciao!"

With that, the baby tutor dived through the bushes behind him and disappeared.

"Wait, Reborn?" Tsuna screamed. "What's with this weird mission?"

"So we can't let them meet, eh?" Gokudera grunted, helping the brunette to his feet as they glanced at Dino with uncertain eyes.

"Well, it's what Reborn said, so we'll have to do it," Dino muttered, looking a little pale. "However, now, Ryo's probably in a bad mood, so we'll have to be careful or he could kill us."

"I-Is Ryo really that scary?" Tsuna questioned, shivering a little as he walked beside his 'brother'.

"Ryo… he doesn't seem as if he would hurt a fly, right?" Dino smiled down at the young brunette. "It's as if he's an angel sent from heaven."

"Yeah, and Ayame's a devil straight out of hell," Gokudera muttered, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"More like she's Lucifer himself," Dino shot back at the silvernette, and both of them nodded, showing they understood each other's pain.

"Anyway," Dino continued, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they continued to walk around randomly and search for Ryo, "Ryo is actually quite dangerous, especially so if he's emotional and away from Ayame. Ayame is his anchor to reality. Without her by his side, his split personality rises."

"I didn't know he had a split personality," Tsuna furrowed his brows. "They didn't mention anything about that. Neither did Reborn, either."

"That's because Ryo's alter ego kills who he sees fit," Dino replied, grimacing as if he had a bad memory. "Be it friend or foe, he will slay anything in his path. That's why you rarely see Ryo without Ayame, or Ayame without Ryo."

"What's he feeling emotional about anyway?" Gokudera grunted, removing one hand from his pocket to ruffle his silver locks. "It's not like he's the one with Cho on his trail."

"Oh, you probably didn't know," Dino said before turning to the gang. "They met Cho when they were running from some Mafioso, and Ryo fell for her. However, her father was one of the Mafioso that was after them, and at the end, Ayame killed them and became half-blind."

"Became half-blind?" Ryohei blinked, confused. "I thought she was blind."

"That was the incident before they killed all of the Mafioso after them," Dino explained to the Sun Guardian, "After which, Ayame totally lost her sight."

"Ohh…" Ryohei muttered, and then punched the air in frustration. "I don't understand, to the extreme!"

"Never mind," Dino sweatdropped as they continued on their way, "I wonder where Ryo is…"

* * *

It was raining heavily again, Ayame could feel it even without seeing it. The rain lashed down against the unclosed window, the wind torturing it by slamming it against the wall, and the thunder screamed out its fury in the sky.

Drawing the blanket closer around herself, she snuggled more into the softness of the bed as she cursed the two for not closing the window earlier. She thought about Ryo, since he was connected to the rain, and when he cried it rained. He should be feeling really depressed right now, about his helplessness in the current situation they had.

Thinking about Ryo turned to thinking about the whole family, and that turned into thinking about a certain skylark, and she put her hand against her cheek, which flushed with warmth.

_What is this? _She frowned, but knew the answer anyway. She just didn't want to acknowledge the true meaning behind her feelings. Besides, he wouldn't like her anyway, right? Great, now she was talking to herself. _Way to go, Ayame, _she thought.

However, her thoughts returned to Ryo pretty quickly, mostly because of the huge storm taking place right now, and she couldn't go to sleep since the wind kept banging the window, as if telling her to get off her lazy ass and go find Ryo.

"I got it, I got it," She muttered, flinging the covers off as the window crashed into the wall again, and the wind howled its displeasure. "I'm going now, sheesh."

Pulling on a raincoat, she put her hands on the wall and felt her way to the window, shutting it before turning to leave. She concentrated on tugging the hood of the raincoat over her head, only to trip over the stack of books Tsuna had placed on the floor, and fall flat on her face.

"… Damn you, Tsunayoshi… Ryo…"

* * *

In a cave, Ryo sneezed as he staggered deeper into the dark cavern, soaked to the bone by his own element. Slipping down the cold, rocky wall as he felt the last of his energy dissipate, he drew his breaths in ragged tones, weak as he tried hard not to collapse onto the ground.

_Beat by my own element, that's so lame, _he smirked as he slowly lay onto the cold and damp floor. He heard the rain outside, and felt the storm in his heart, laying against the cold rocks as he thought about the possible actions he could make in the situation they had been forced into and trapped in.

_Ryo, can you hear me? _Ayame's voice came to him, sickly-sweet, dripping like honey onto his slipping consciousness.

_A-Aya… _He felt a shock surge through his body, rendering him slightly paralyzed. _I've been out in the rain too long, _he thought to himself, but he knew his sister could hear.

_Where are you? I heard from Reborn that Cho and Mark's looking for you too, so are Tsuna and the others. _She didn't sound anxious at all, but Ryo knew his sister's heart.

_In a cold, dark cave, somewhere, _he muttered, feeling his consciousness on the brink of slipping again.

_Ryo, don't black out on me, _she sounded anxious now. _Ryo? Ryo! Ryo…!_

_Aya… me… _He thought, as he lost the fight to stay awake, seeing black spots dance before his vision before the darkness consumed him.

* * *

"Ah, ah, it was so difficult to find you, Ryo," A voice sang as footsteps echoed throughout the dark cavern. "Do you know how difficult it was to find you, darling? Let's go home now."

Said male was lifted off the floor and carried on broad shoulders as two hooded figures left the cave, smiling under the darkness that hid their faces, escaping with their target into the dark night.

* * *

_Damn it, _Ayame cursed as she ran blindly in the forest. _I saw everything a moment ago, but now it's all black again… Ryo's out of my range…_

_Where are you, Ryo? _She felt the rain pelting softly against her skin now, and she knew her brother had collapsed since they'd stop communicating through their special telepathy, and also since the rain had let up, but he was nowhere to be found.

Her sneakers splashed into puddles, becoming muddy as she continued to run despite her blindness, trying to find her brother. Suddenly, she felt something restrain her arms, and her stomach flipped when she realized what had happened to her brother.

_This… is the worst possible thing ever, _she grunted as she pulled herself off the gravelly ground when she fell. _I can't find my brother, and I'm just running around blindly… This is a joke… Stop screwing with me, God!_

* * *

"Hieee, what do you mean, Hibari's gone?" Tsuna freaked out at Dino immediately after getting the news.

"I don't know myself, I took my eyes off him for a few seconds and poof, he's gone," The blonde laughed, an embarrassed smile gracing his lips as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Does that mean that Hibari went off to find Ryo on his own?" Yamamoto joked, glaringly oblivious to the fact that the atmosphere was serious.

"I don't think so," Dino frowned as they continued on their way, "I doubt he'd do anything to help the family."

"True that," Gokudera grunted an agreement, hands in his pockets as he scuffed his shoes against the pavement. "Maybe he went to find Ayame to pick another fight."

"Hieee, Hibari fought with Ayame before?" Tsuna shrieked, grabbing at his brunette mane, freaking out at the thought of the two strongest people he knew going head to head.

"That's what Reborn told me," Gokudera explained as all of them continued to walk.

"What did I tell you?" A baby's voice piped up, scaring the brunette into screaming like a girl and the others to be surprised.

"Reborn!" Gokudera exclaimed, clearly shocked. The phrase 'speak of the devil' seemed to fit the situation.

"What are you doing here, Reborn?" Dino, surprisingly, was the most calm of them all.

"Just to let you all know, your mission is over," Reborn announced, before pointing his gun at Tsuna's forehead. "And you failed very badly, Tsuna!"

"Hieee?" Tsuna shrieked, afraid of said weapon as he tried to scramble back away from the range of the baby hitman. "Why?"

"Because you didn't capture the target," Reborn replied, tilting his fedora to shadow his face. "And also, because you let the enemy capture the target."

"Wait, you mean-?" Tsuna stammered, getting up only to fall again in his shock.

"Yes…" Reborn tilted his fedora back in place again, a serious expression on his face. "Cho and her family has Ryo."

* * *

Hohoho . Hope you had fun reading this chapter . Eh , whatever . I'm actually quite depressed cause of my results . They're not ... quite what I expected . And the only course I was aiming for ... I don't have it in my list . I don't wanna go on anymore . -heart break-


	11. Chapter 11

**DA Chap 11**

It was kinda difficult churning out this chapter. I kept running into writers' block... and to my Pokemon story. Sorry for the late update, but the lack of reviews for this story got my creative muse in a... not-wanting-to-write mood. Hah, sorry. I'm rather motivation-driven. Praise fuels my muse. Other than that, I feel this chapter is quite descriptive... Don't ask why. Anyway, let's reply to the reviews I've gotten.

**bloodyhelllx: **Thanks for your support, there's more Hibari action to come! Enjoy this chapter as well!

* * *

"Hieee, they've got Ryo?" Tsuna shrieked, clutching at the chocolate tresses that were a crown on his head, in the act of freaking out.

"This is bad," Yamamoto said, albeit in a cheerful tone.

"Tch, causing trouble for the Tenth again," Gokudera complained, crossing his arms.

"I say we go find them to the extreme!" Ryohei yelled out excitedly

"Wait, other than the problem we have at hand," Dino butted in, glancing around at the group. "… Where's Kyoya?"

"… Eh?"

* * *

There is was again. The devastating darkness that greeted Ryo even as he struggled to open up his eyes, it was entirely pitch black and he was unable to see anything. Just through feeling, he sensed that his arms were bound to some sort of a pole, or maybe a chair. Blindfolded, he could only depend on his other senses to help him break out of wherever he'd been taken to.

His chaotic thoughts fretted over Ayame. If he saw nothing, she would see nothing as well. The distance between them right now felt like a huge abyss, seeing as to how big the gap between his mind and her mind was.

Subconsciously, Ryo wondered how Ayame was doing right now. She could break down any moment without him. They needed each other to survive.

* * *

Ayame opened her eyes, but darkness still greeted her. Groggily, she got up, wondering where she was as she felt the ground around her, feeling its smooth, marble texture. _Where am I…? _She thought to herself, struggling to get up even though she could barely feel her legs.

"Lie down, Akanke," A silky and dangerous voice told her. Though she couldn't see through the dark haze clouding her vision, she knew the voice well enough. It belonged to the one and only skylark, Hibari Kyoya.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned, feeling the ground once again to make sure she didn't make a mistake about it.

They were in some sort of cave, she realized as she groped the ground around her. Rocks sliced into the skin of her palm; she felt and smelled the metallic flow of blood.

"Why are you so clumsy," Hibari growled as he jerked her hand up towards what seemed to be his face, judging from the breaths that were hitting her hand when he exhaled.

A loud 'scrp' was heard before Hibari placed something over her wound, making her guess it was a plaster.

"What's wrong with you," He snarled as he jerked her up to her feet. "Running around the forest like a blind madman on the loose, fainting in front of a cave, this isn't the Akanke I know."

She mumbled something. Hibari's eyes narrowed even more. "What did you say?" He had to keep his tone down to keep from snarling at her as if he were some kind of rabid dog.

"I can't see," She informed him, eyes closed as she stared at the ground.

"This is because Ryo's gone, isn't it?" He questioned, eyes still narrowed at the girl. He noticed her knees were trembling badly. "Honestly, you… How are you supposed to search when you're blind?"

"I want- no, I need…" She whispered, throat dry as she tried to find her spirit. "I need my brother back…"

"Why do you need him?" He growled at her, yanking her arms so that he now carried her on his back. "You're strong, aren't you." It was more a statement than a question.

"I can't… see without… Ryo…" She managed to rasp, inhaling shaky breaths as her whole body shivered. "He and I… we make… one…"

"Then you just have to find him, right?"

Ayame turned down to look at the male despite the fact that she couldn't see a thing.

"Let's find him, together."

Shock settled in quickly as the female tilted her chin down to stare at the male despite the fact that she couldn't see, but the shock faded as quickly.

"… Okay."

* * *

"Here, eat up," Mark told Ryo as he put a plate of rice balls on the rocky ground.

"What does Cho want with me?" Ryo questioned him, hands free to eat, but ankles in shackles.

"I don't know, honestly," Mark replied, smiling at the male. "Her business is none of mine; I do this for my own entertainment."

"Entertainment, from Cho…? You must be kidding," Ryo raised an eyebrow, but his flashing crimson orbs belied his calmness.

"She's very entertaining," Mark insisted, placing a glass of water next to the plate. "She thinks she can force Ayame to break down by taking you away. Tell me, is that true?"

"It isn't," Ryo blatantly lied as he picked one rice ball up. "Who made this?"

"I did," Mark nodded, tray in hand. "I shouldn't be conversing with you however I like, but, I always do things my way. So tell me, Ryo, do you trust that your sister will come for you?"

"I don't trust that she will come for me," Ryo glared lightly at the male as he ate the rice ball. "I _know _she will come for me."

"Is that the twins' thing speaking again," Mark teased, crouching down to meet Ryo's eye level. "However, you might be right."

"Are you really on a side here?" Ryo munched on the next rice ball, hungry since he hadn't eaten for four hours, according to the crouched orange-haired male in front of him. "Oh, yeah, and what's up with that weird tattoos below your eyes?"

"I prefer to watch from the sidelines," Mark smiled innocently, closing his eyes in a manner close to Ayame's. "These tattoos aren't tattoos, they're a mark."

"Mark?" Ryo raised an eyebrow at this.

"Yes, that's my name," Mark laughed heartily at his own joke.

"That's not what I meant," Ryo sweatdropped, not able to keep up with the male's pace.

"These marks," Mark began, a serious expression masking his face, "are the marks of immortality."

Moments passed, tense and excruciating silence filled the air between the two males. Crimson orbs slammed into azure ones, the former pair weary and exhausted by Mark, and the latter pair gleaming and mischievous.

"Just kidding!" Mark announced, laughing happily at Ryo's expression as the latter's eye twitched in annoyance and impatience. "The look on your face is so priceless!"

"You…" Ryo growled as he finally remembered the significance of those marks from one of the ancient books he'd read when he was free, "Those are the marks of Tulbar."

"You know, huh?" Mark smiled, orange hair swaying with his motions as he sat down beside Ryo.

"The marks of Tulbar, one of the ancient legendary beasts," Ryo began, knowing the prophecy from heart. "It ranges from the shades of the darkest purple to mauve, and takes on any shapes according to their master. Though, judging from yours, you don't seem to have much experience using that curse."

"I didn't want this curse," Mark's smile fell flat as he stated that solemnly.

"Were you born with it?" The Rain Guardian asked, staring at the ash-mauve marks that looked much like a cat had clawed Mark across the face in the shape of an 'x' on both cheeks.

"No," Mark replied as he lifted a hand to touch the marks, trailing his finger down the two lines. "Well, you're about finished, and I'd say Cho should be back any minute now. We'll talk the next time around."

With that, the ginger-haired male left the room with the empty tray. Minutes later, the door slammed open to reveal Cho in a pink, frilly dress. In she came, skirt aflutter as she covered the male's face with kisses that he tried to avoid, but to no avail, since Mark had chained his hands again.

As Cho blabbered on about being together for eternity, Ryo clawed through his memories frantically for the facts he'd learned about the marks of Tulbar, mind teetering on the edge of knowledge and lies. The confusion was terrifying to the crimson-eyed genius, and for once in his life, he felt the need to find the piece of important information he needed at that moment.

_The marks of Tulbar… Tulbar, the legendary being of hatred… It takes the form of various shapes and sizes, judging on the power and status of the being it has been cast on…_

That was what he remembered hazily as he tried to push Cho away with his elbows, causing the female to growl in protest, before he finally reached the vital part he had been looking for – _whoever has the marks of Tulbar bestowed upon them, are never mere mortals…_

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Ayame tried to console the fear that was resonating inside of her – though the female was sure this inconsistent anxiety didn't belong to her, but her brother. Her grip on Hibari's coat, however, was tight, and the skylark seemed to be irritated that she was clinging to him so closely.

Their footsteps were soft against the mud, and the crunches of the leaves beneath their feet were the only evidence that they were the only people present in the forest. Suddenly, Hibari came to a stop, and the female bumped into him, muttering a silent apology.

"Are you sure it's this way?" He huffed, trying not to sound irritated at the female who was hiding behind him after she got them lost for the umpteenth time.

She kept quiet, her grip on his shirt flawlessly tight. The male turned to glance over his shoulder at her, noticing how pale her face was and how she was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Sighing, he turned to the blue sky, wishing to be at the roof of Namimori Middle so he could sleep.

"Let's rest for now," He said as he pulled her over to a tree, hand on her wrist.

Both of them slumped against the tree, Ayame feeling for the bark before sliding down. She rested there, feeling her feet ache from the distance they'd walked to search for Ryo, and heard the grass rustle as Hibari took a seat next to her, a comforting warmth emitting from him.

"Here," He pressed something soft into her palm. "Eat up so you have energy to search, I can't have you collapsing when you're the only lead to find your brother."

"Thanks," She muttered, taking the peach he'd plucked off a nearby tree, and started to nibble it, not in the mood for anything at the moment.

"You and your brother…" Hibari started, yawning a little and straining the last word, "You're both connected with senses, right? Can you see anything now?"

"Well, the blackness is becoming lesser now," She informed him as she lowered the peach from her mouth. "It's still not clear, though…"

"That means he's somewhere near here, right?" He narrowed his eyes around at their surroundings, not being able to pick out much due to the very sheltered area they were in.

"He's not that near," She replied softly, feeling vulnerable without her sense of sight. "However, he can't be that far, either…"

She trailed off, and he sensed her uneasiness.

"Get a grip on yourself," He offered, voice rough as he swept a hand through her soft, silky ebony locks and tugging slightly, irritated that he was this affected by her vulnerability. "You're not the Akanke I know if you act this way."

He closed his eyes, pretending to not see her although he knew she couldn't see him, however, he felt something tug on his sleeve, opening a silver orb to see her pull slightly on said sleeve.

Her eyes were open, reflecting the rays of filtered sunlight that came from the gaps in the rustling leaves. White, like the purest of snow, shaded with grays of uncertainty and vulnerability. Plush, rosy lips that opened, parting slightly to offer words that were on the tip of the female's tongue, and his other eye opened to take in the full sight.

Shock registered when he felt her body, warm against his as his back found the forest floor, hands feeling the rough sensation of the grass as his palms grazed the weeds. Their lips were locked together, her eyes slowly closing as her worries melted away with the touch of his lips.

The surprise settled in too late – his hands had already begun to move, winding themselves around her slim waist to tug her closer. By the time the skylark had registered his movements, he felt his tongue trace her bottom lip, asking for permission.

Every single thing was wrong – ranging from this sudden bout of passion, to the way he was asking her for entrance. He was Hibari Kyoya, he never needed permission.

He pulled away quickly, ending the kiss just as soon as it began abruptly. Silence settled in, awkwardness biting its way into the thin, weary air.

"Let's go," He muttered, unable to stop the vehemence from seeping into his voice, incapable of quelling his rage at himself, and at her.

* * *

Ryo could hear her before he felt her, the presence so close and dear to him, caressing him, engulfing him in its warmth. _Don't worry, _it whispered, lifting his face, touching his skin, but his crimson eyes found nothing when they tried to seek her out.

Lifting his chained hands, trying to peer through the darkness of his cell, he let his lips part, feeling the dryness of his tongue as he spoke, parched, voice hoarse and hanging, pleading for her to hurry up.

"Ayame…" His whispers grew softer with each cry, and he heard the scrape of his cell door open.

He could not see much through his haze, feeling the weakness of his body, a result of the substance Cho had injected into him. Why was it so damn difficult to move? However, Ryo felt his body being lifted up, barely hearing the voice that spoke to him in tender, soothing tones.

His eyes were closing, he could feel the leaded pressure pulling his lids further down to engulf him in total darkness as he swayed, a person's broad shoulder digging into his stomach as they carried him like he was a sack of potatoes.

Dull sensations of pain came from the shoulder in his abdomen, but the Rain Guardian could barely feel them too. All he knew and acknowledged was the plain fact that his eyes were closing… closing…

* * *

"I see nothing," Ayame broke the silence between the pair as she held onto his school jacket, tightening her grasp only for a fraction of a second before loosening her grip.

"Does that mean we've walked too far?" He couldn't hide the throaty hint of irritation in his voice, undertone husky due to not talking for the rest of the hours when they walked.

"I think he might've been drugged to sleep," She replied softly, feeling insecure since she could barely see anything in the pitch-black darkness that now consumed her line of vision. "His vision faded before it went black…"

"I see…" The aloof Cloud Guardian uttered before coming to a complete stop, putting a hand on the female's shoulder to stop her from bumping into him as well. "What did you last see before he blacked out, then? Was your vision any clearer?"

"The last I saw was a faded image of a dark room… Some sort of a cell, I think," She muttered quietly, unsure of what she had actually seen through her brother's eyes. "He was being carried away; I felt the sensation of someone's shoulder digging into my stomach too."

"They were in this forest earlier, right?" He asked, turning around to get a vision of the rapidly-darkening forest. Since afternoon they'd searched, and right now, evening was quickly approaching.

"Yeah, Ryo was in a cave," She replied, fumbling about in her jacket pocket to find something. Pulling out a box, she lit up her ring and pushed the flaming black center of the ring into the box.

Immediately, Thief showed up, circling her ankle twice before running up her thigh to reach her shoulder, perching there and turning his inquisitive gaze to Hibari. The skylark smiled, pushing his aloof personality aside as he reached out to pat the small raccoon. Thief chattered, seemingly enjoying the male's attention, before he turned his tiny black nose to his master.

"Find Ryo," was all Ayame told the raccoon, who chattered once again before leaping off her shoulder.

In a circle the critter went, nose to the ground as if it were a dog, sniffing and snuffling through the dead leaf litter on the ground. Then, Thief picked itself up, standing on its hind legs as it now tasted the air with its nose, before letting out a loud chatter in a general direction.

"There's a cave there," Hibari pointed a direction she couldn't see, "Do you think Thief picked up Akanke's scent?"

"It should be," She muttered, groping the air around her before finally finding his arm to hang onto as they followed the raccoon, looking around to find nothing.

There was another loud 'chuk' sound from said critter, and it rubbed its paws together as it picked up a gleaming item off the ground. Sniffing it, it let out another chatter, and climbed up Hibari's leg to give the cube-shaped thing to him.

Taking it from the raccoon, intrigued silver eyes scanned over the top of the black box, before they widened as they realized what it was.

"It's your brother's box weapon," Hibari told Ayame quietly, and she took it from him without a word, a frustrated expression arranged among her facial features.

"He must've dropped it while he was unconscious," She slipped the box into her pocket before she held her arms open for the raccoon to jump into.

Thief did so, snuggling into her shirt as they began to trek the dark premises of the forest once again, looking for tracks in the mud that showed sign of others' presence.

"Here," Hibari bent down to check the freshness of the tracks, eyes narrowed as if they could cut into the dirt, before he made out the hints of the direction Ryo's kidnappers had taken him. "They went east, according to their prints."

"You'd better check if the other tracks head the same way," She advised to the still bent-over male, and he swept two fingers over the dirt, smudging the track before glancing around to find the other ones.

Without a word, he stood, grabbing the female by her arm and tugging her along with him. She stumbled, but couldn't fall due to the vice grip the skylark had on her arm, and started trying to catch up with his long strides.

Around the skylark, silence always filled the air, but Ayame felt comfortable in the quaintness of the silence surrounding them. Why was that so…? She moved so that her arm now grabbed onto Hibari's hand, relishing in its warmth and comfort it could give her, and the pair continued on their way.

* * *

"Hieee, what do we do?" Tsuna was still freaking out over the fact that Cho and Mark had Ryo. Other than that, there was also the apparent reality that Ayame and Hibari had already gone ahead in search of the male.

"Well, I think we can relax, since Ayame is already on the case," Dino muttered in a relaxed tone, although his tugging anxiously on his fur-line coat belied his calm statement.

"Personally, I'd find it better for Ayame to be the one to retrieve her brother," Reborn began, quirking his lips before letting his face fall into a serious shadow. "However, we, the Vongola Family, have vowed to protect those two. Therefore, we are going as well."

With that said, he hopped off the ledge he'd been standing on, landing perfectly on his feet like a cat.

"Yamamoto," He began, ebony eyes turning to gaze upon the Rain Guardian. "We'll be counting on you."

* * *

Slowly, the world he knew came to him, and a tirade of canopies invaded his line of vision. Realizing he was in a clearing, Ryo sat up quickly, only to regret the very action when pain shot through his body, immobilizing it for seconds. The clear night sky greeted him, the shadows of nearby trees haunting as he slowly turned his head to get his bearings.

He'd been freed from the cell, he realized as his crimson eyes took note of the change in surroundings. Who had freed him? Someone strong enough to lift him, of course, he thought wryly to himself. Despite his slender frame, the male weighed at least 120 pounds, and to be able to be carried like a sack of potatoes was quite a feat.

Other than that, who was his rescuer, and what were his intentions for doing such a thing that could piss Cho off so much? Ryo stood up, thoughts swarming his head as he brushed himself down. The only people who were able to enter and leave freely were just those two – Cho and Mark – but the thought for either of them to free him without the consent of the other was just ridiculous, not to mention completely impossible.

Mark was Cho's ally, he had no business with freeing prisoners, and the same applied to Cho. Besides that, she had been the one to kidnap him, so it was absurd for her to actually release him herself.

As he tried to reason out the possibilities of his rescuer, his thoughts were also trapped on his sister – how was she coping without him? They'd never been apart for so long, since they'd been together ever since birth and he didn't know if it would affect her or her body in any way. She depended on him for her sight, and she would remain blind as long as they weren't close enough in proximity.

He felt a slight tugging at the very base of his soul, and immediately sprung to his feet, veering off into a random direction. Running on instinct, he raced through the hedges of bushes that barricaded his way, hurrying to the one thing that was tied to him – his one and only sister.

* * *

Ayame felt a tug at her very base and stopped right in her tracks, whipping around to find the direction her instinct was pointing her in.

"Oi, what are you doing, Akanke?" Hibari's voice cut her train of thought off, and she veered around to face where his voice was.

"I felt it," She uttered, unable to chain words together in a sentence as her instincts sent her in a frenzy, demanding she find her brother instantly so she could get her sight back.

A hand grabbed her wrist just as she rushed forward, and the momentum of that moment sent both Guardians tumbling down the huge hill they'd been standing on. Immediately, warm arms locked around her waist, and she was pulled into the warmth of Hibari uniform as their backs alternated, hitting the ground roughly.

Tears welled up at the thought of Hibari protecting her from the fall. What was this? Crying over such a silly matter, how naïve and trusting of her… Did all those years spent running away from the Mafia teach her to be innocent in the face of such dark, corrupt society? However, it would be damned if she didn't just draw closer, leaning in towards the skylark's chest, letting his warm embrace engulf her, body, mind… and heart.

They hit the ground roughly, Hibari's back taking the toll as he adjusted their positions at the last minute, and their rough pants filled the air. Shocked white orbs locked onto silver ones, though they didn't see anything, but Hibari didn't seem to care. Quickly, in jerky movements, the skylark got up.

Not bothering to brush himself down, he reached down to tug the female to her feet and turn away, not speaking a word of their awkward embrace throughout the fall, or the position they'd been in just seconds earlier when their noses had been touching, their chests had been brushing, and their hearts… their hearts had been racing.

Even now, their breaths were erratic, as the skylark distanced himself from the Wind Guardian. Their thoughts were equally disrupted, a reign of chaos, a war that they fought internally.

Just then, Ayame's eyes shifted to the left, as if searching for something to be there. A rustle. Tension hung high in the air as the female sprung quickly to her feet, still unable to see as she pulled her dagger from her boot, spreading her legs apart to get into a better fighting stance.

"A-ya-me! I'm glad I found you," A familiar voice rang out, belonging to a one female that both Wind and Cloud Guardians didn't want to see right now.

Her grip on her dagger didn't falter, and she reached down for the other as well, holding them in front of her, gripping them tightly. Hibari was already at the ready, brandishing his tonfas.

"Ah, you're here too, hottie," Cho sang as she hopped out into the clearing with Mark in tow. Her cheerful expression then turned serious. "Now… tell me where's Ryo."

Ayame closed her eyes again; worry spreading through her entire being like a wildfire. Only one thought echoed in her mind, reverberating through the beating of her heart.

_Ryo was still missing._

* * *

Word count? Barely over 4,000. That's way lower than my usual standards, but I require at least 4,000 words for each of DA's chapter, in case you guys didn't know. That's why sometimes I take so long to churn out these chapters, since I tend to forget what I write and need to refer back in case the story doesn't flow smoothly. I hope you guys can also see that our main pairing has reached the brink of realization. Well, enjoy while I go to bed since it's like 6AM in the morning here. Sorry for taking so long to update. It'd be nice if I had more reviews to drive me, like my Pokemon story. Oh well, it's your choice. Ciao ~


	12. Chapter 12

**DA Chap 12**

Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long, I'm really struggling to pull up ideas for both ongoing series right now, though the Pokemon one is much easier to write since the word count is lesser. However, this chapter is quite short (3k words) but I did my best, and really wanted to end there. Anyway, my apologies once again for the long wait, here we go, chapter 12.

On a sidenote, I may end this series around chapter 18 (Hibari's number, ftw).. So keep your eyes peeled. Also, I don't want anybody commenting about my use of suffixes, such as "-chan", "-san", and so on, just saying because I know one day someone will say something about that. GET OVER IT. It's the way the characters call each other, gives a level of friendship, I guess? :I

Alright, time for review replies!

**thearistocrat: **Hey, I know, right? c: I do have a knack for wrecking peoples' nerves, heh... I kid c: Enjoy this chapter as well!

**XxShiroumiArisaxX: **Here's the next chapter, enjoy! Thanks for reviewing c:

* * *

Emerald eyes glared coldly into closed ones, a head full of strawberry-blond hair tied into a high ponytail swayed in the sudden breeze. Tension filled the silent air, as Hibari glared at the intruder.

"Where's your boy-toy?" The skylark snarled, though not in a very-questioning or curious tone. His steel tonfas were raised, a scowl on his lips.

Ayame clutched the sleeve of Hibari's jacket, close to tearing the armband off the ebony sleeve. A hand clasped over hers and gently, but firmly, pushed it away.

"If you're talking about Mark, he's trying to look for the escapee," Cho replied, narrowing her eyes further at the female instead of focusing on the skylark when answering his question.

Ayame didn't flinch under the unwavering, intense gaze, not even turning away from Cho, acknowledging the male's authority when he stepped forward to raise his tonfas.

"I'll ask you again, _where is Ryo_?" Cho glared, eyes becoming mere slits as she glared more, though said intense gaze didn't seem to bother the Wind Guardian.

"I already told you, I don't know," Ayame answered before tugging on Hibari's sleeve. "Let's go, Kyoya, I don't have time for this."

She started to pull him away, and both of them moved to leave the clearing.

"I'm not letting you go and find Ryo before me," Cho declared, stepping in front of the pair. "Mark will find him, and we'll separate the both of you. After all, your curse is such that you can't be kept away from each other."

"You're insane if you think you can keep me away from Ryo," Ayame retorted, close to snarling at the female as she turned to side-step the blonde, letting go of Hibari's jacket sleeve.

"I said, I'm not going to let you find him," Cho snarled, leaping in front of the ebony-haired individual and spreading her arms out.

"Who are you to stop me?" Ayame growled, slipping one dagger out of her boot quickly and holding it up threateningly.

"You can't even see me," Her opponent snorted, flipping her locks casually while smirking. "How are you supposed to stop me from getting in your way?"

"Like this," The female stated simply before taking a leap forward and swinging the dagger in a quick motion.

The momentum of her swift motion shredded a handful of beautiful, strawberry-blonde locks from Cho's head. A startled gasp, a step backwards, an open mouth. Emerald eyes slammed into now-opened white ones, filled with both humiliation and the promise of revenge, and the blonde charged forward, fuelled by boiling hatred for the female who sliced off her precious hair.

Ayame simply stepped away from each and every one of Cho's wild swings, the blonde flailing her sharp nails at the female as if she were a cat. Without any hint of mercy in her emotionless eyes, Ayame brought down the golden-encrusted dagger onto Cho's arms.

Maroon liquid met the grassy forest floor, the dark shade of red clashing with the brighter shade of green. A long, horrible-looking gash ran down Cho's left arm, an imperfection in her flawless, white skin.

Both their expressions were ruthless, cold and unforgiving as they went at each other even more once Cho pulled out a sharp dagger encrusted with amethysts.

Steel met steel in short, quick swings as both gold and amethyst danced together, flashing under the glowing sun. The wind blew, harsh as petals and leaves came raining down from the surrounding trees. Nevertheless, the two females continued to circle each other, weapons raised, eyeing each other with wariness.

The skylark on the sidelines didn't seem too amused by the pair being absorbed by their fight, as one hand holding a steel tonfa twitched, a vein slowly appearing on the back of his tensed, pale hand.

His grip on the steel weapon didn't relax as he barked out the Wind Guardian's name, and narrowed his steely eyes when she ignored him and continued the fight.

Without a word, the skylark turned to leave, forgetting the fact that the female still couldn't really see very well, irritated that she would be caught up in the stupid fight when they were supposed to be searching for her troublesome brother. Who was he kidding? They were all troublesome.

One day, he reasoned to himself and his seething temper, one day, he would bite all of them to death.

* * *

Minutes later, the carnivore found himself still very lost in the dense, thick forest, surrounded by different kinds of shrubs and foliage, and he let out an irritated growl. Raising his tonfas in a jerky manner, he proceeded to hack through the unforgiving, pesky plants out of his way as he stormed through the forest.

He narrowed his eyes against the falling shadows due to the setting sun, thoughts disarray as he continued to pick his way through the grassy floors. Not once did the skylark even turn back to look for his blind female companion, and neither did she even cross his very-annoyed state of mind.

His only focus right now was to try to get out of this forest while searching for Ryo, and hopefully, run into that ginger-haired individual who looked kind of strong and fight with him.

As the ebony-haired individual continued through the forest at a fast pace, he found himself in a puzzle of the forest's lush parts, going round in circles as he found himself back at the place he'd started from. Although he no longer heard the sound of clashing steel, he knew that the two females were far from done with ripping each other apart.

Hopefully, he frowned; Ayame would win so that Hibari could just get her out of here and leave. Just then, his thoughts turned over to the words she'd uttered to him, something about being unable to see clearly when her brother was too far away from her-

_Shit, _cursed the ever-so-calm skylark as he started to retrace his steps, trying to head back towards the battle. Even though he tried to push the thoughts out of his head, he couldn't. In his mind, a voice just continued to chant on, making anxiety pump through his veins, as they whispered the words: _Please be safe, Akanke…_

* * *

Ryo groaned as he stumbled again into yet another tree. It was difficult to see through the darkness, and the slices of silver moonlight through the dense canopy of trees were barely there. Grabbing hold of the rough branch above him to hoist himself up, he let his eyes get used to the soft light from the moon before glancing around below him.

The luscious, green forest floor greeted his sight. It was empty, as empty as the Rain Guardian felt. Like there was a hole in his chest, or a numbed kind of pain in his heart, something was definitely missing. Slowly, he lifted his left hand to fondle the back of his neck, before awkwardly placing it onto his back, where the half of his birthmark was.

He was definitely not himself when Ayame wasn't around him, and it didn't help that Ayame's senses would always kick into hyper drive should he not be present.

Right now, all he felt was the pump of adrenaline through his veins, the wooziness of a giddy rush in his head due to the uneven blood flow. _Ayame's fighting someone, _Ryo thought as he tried to get a grip on himself. He could see his vision blurring, and that was not a good sign. Should he collapse right now, it would not only make him vulnerable to Cho again, but also serve as a disadvantage to his sister.

They had to depend on each other, whether they wanted to or not. As their curse had depicted, one half of Yin couldn't be without the other half of Yang. Together, they made a whole, and it was to be this way, forever.

Blinking hard to get try to dispel his dizziness, he felt his body spiraling as he slipped off the branch he had been crouching on. He reached out to grab a hold of something, anything at all, gripping nothing but air.

A hard impact, and then everything went black.

* * *

Ayame stumbled as soon as she felt her entire field of vision go black. She fell to the ground on her side, but rolled over and got up quickly, though still blind, and held her dagger up.

"Looks like you can't see anymore," Cho was smirking, Ayame could tell from her victorious tone.

The blackhead growled in annoyance, wanting to stab Cho in the head again and again till the latter died of blood loss. Not to mention critical damage to her brain nerves. Her grip on her dagger tightened though, the loss of her vision resulting in all her senses heightening, and suddenly the musky smell of the forest invaded her nose, along with the scent of fresh blood from both of their injured arms.

Throughout the whole battle, both females had managed to score quite a number of injuries on each other, mostly on the other's arms. Their clothes were tattered; parts sliced off and stained with blood.

Sharp, quick pants filled the air, coming out from both mouths, but neither wanted to give in. Even though darkness was now the pit of despair in her white eyes, Ayame let numbness take over before she rushed forward, dagger glinting dangerously in the moonlight as she dealt the final blow.

Silence as the pants continued, before the sound of knees hitting the ground, a body giving out of exhaustion filled the air. Slices of cricket chirps were now heard as movement was now bare, the stillness in the serene air chilling.

A glorious smirk greets the darkness, pearly-white teeth glinting brightly in the moonlight, before a bloodstained dagger is sheathed, and the owner walks away in silent triumph.

* * *

Ryo woke up to white-hot pain shooting through his body, the most through his arms and his left side. He felt as if he'd been to Hell and back, and studied the slight bruises along his arms. _What happened? _He thought to himself, before shaking off the thought and looking around him. _Where am I?_

"I see you're awake, Mr. Troublemaker," A rough voice greeted him.

Immediately, crimson eyes lifted to meet a head of ginger hair.

"You," Ryo breathed, unable to believe that he was still alive… and still trapped, in a way.

Mark smiled, almost too kindly, "What's wrong with me being here? I've saved your ass twice."

"Where am I? Where's Ayame? And Cho?" Ryo tried to move, but collapsed from exhaustion. _Why am I feeling so tired? _He groaned mentally.

"I suggest you not to move around too much," Mark warned softly, flashing a grin at the Rain Guardian. "I have no idea where your sister is, but I can confirm she definitely fought with Cho just now."

Shock registered in Ryo's mind at last after the word 'fight', and he struggled to get up quickly again. Mark pushed the male down silently with one hand, restraining him from moving.

"I told you not to move too much," The orange-haired male sighed, taking a sip from his can of soda. "What's wrong with your listening?"

"Ayame," The Rain Guardian managed to choke out over the pain, pure agony reflected in his crimson eyes. "She's in trouble."

* * *

"Hibari! Hibari!" A ting yellow bird flew down from the dark sky, circling the canopies of the trees before gliding down to land on the skylark's shoulder.

"Have you found her?" Hibari asked of the tiny creature, who chirped out his name once more. "What?"

The tiny fluff started to belt out Namimori Middle's school anthem, and Hibari decided to take the song as a 'no' to his question.

"You must be tired," He muttered to the chick, patting it on the head softly with one finger. "Take a rest, I'll continue searching."

Chirping contentedly, the tiny fluffy chick burrowed itself into the high collar of Hibari's jacket, nestling against the right side of his neck before taking a quick nap.

Slowly, Hibari made sure his movements weren't too jerky so as to not wake up the chick, and pushed a low-hanging branch out of his way. How could he have left Akanke there? Well, obviously he was so pissed off about the fight he'd completely forgotten the fact they still hadn't found her brother and she was fighting blind.

He was trying to pick up his pace, of course, but considering his sight wasn't as good as it was during the daytime, he'd probably had to rest till dawn before he began his search again.

"Eh? I-Is that you, Hibari-san?" A familiar, kind-of-feminine voice shrilled out into the silent air, disrupting the peace that had finally greeted the skylark's mind just as he'd settled down on a patch of soft grass to rest.

Steely eyes opened ever so slightly, before closing once they caught sight of a certain brunette and a baby with curly sideburns on his shoulder.

"Hn, what do you want, herbivore?" Hibari muttered in an annoyed tone, eyes closed as he rested.

"I-I'm so glad we found you," Tsuna stammered, words quivering like his form was. "W-where's Ayame and Ryo?"

He looked around hopefully, as if expecting to see the twins still alive in one piece somewhere near Hibari's resting spot.

"They're not here," The skylark growled out before sitting up, accidentally waking up the tiny chick asleep in his jacket collar.

"Why are they not here, you bastard?" Gokudera yelled, his shout echoing off the tree barks.

"Obviously, they're not here because they're not here," The skylark snapped at the Storm Guardian, opening his eyes as traces of irritation became evident on his handsome features. He stood up in quick, jerky motions and brushed himself down.

The Storm Guardian let out an irritated grunt at this, about ready to slam his fist into the skylark's face if Yamamoto hadn't been restraining him.

"It seems that you've lost Ayame as well," Reborn stated, frowning a little as he tilted his fedora. "This might be a problem."

"It isn't my fault she got caught up in her fight with that girl," Hibari grunted, feeling even more irritated at the word 'problem'. Really now, how much trouble was Akanke worth, anyway? She brought too much chaos with her.

"What girl?" Reborn questioned, glancing up at Hibari from Tsuna's shoulder. Man, was the brunette ever so short, Reborn scoffed to himself mentally.

"That annoying girl," Hibari stated in an obvious tone, steely eyes intense before he provided a further explanation, "That girl with blonde hair, who likes pink."

"Y-you mean C-Cho?" The Sky Guardian stammered, nervous as always.

"Yes, I don't really care what her name is though," Hibari let out a yawn, barely lifting his hand to cover his open mouth. "I was going to take a short nap till dawn to go find Akanke again, but it seems that you ruined the plan."

The skylark started to walk away from the whole group, feeling kind of pressured in their presence… more of a choking sensation whenever he had to handle a crowd. Not that he was claustrophobic, but just because he disliked- no, hated- crowds.

"H-Hibari-san, where are you going?" Tsuna shrieked out once he noticed the Guardian slipping quietly away from them.

"I'm going elsewhere to rest," Hibari snorted in an obvious tone, barely even turning to face the brunette. "I can't get any rest with all of you herbivores crowding my personal space."

With that said, the Guardian continued from his pause, only to feel a weight on his shoulder, glancing sideways at the baby tutor that had leapt onto his shoulder.

"What do you want, baby?" Hibari asked, not really irritated since he'd witnessed first-hand the tutor's amazing strength.

"We should all search for her in the morning," Reborn piped up in his squeaky voice, smiling his strangely-shaped smile. "So let's all get some rest here tonight."

"… Fine, but stay away from me," The Cloud Guardian gave in, and Reborn nodded before jumping off his shoulder.

"Alright, let's set up camp here you all," He squeaked out to the gang.

"I'll call Romario to come over and help us set up tents," Dino said ever so helpfully, whipping out his phone to dial the bodyguard's number.

Without another word, the skylark settled himself against a tree branch, quickly closing his eyes and going to sleep. Tsuna felt a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, but didn't say anything as he headed into a tent with Reborn for a good night's rest.

Gokudera and Yamamoto, too, retreated into one tent, albeit with a lot of muttered curses and complaints from the former, while Ryohei shared one tent with Dino.

Hibari had his eyes closed, but he felt all the movements around him. Slowly, one eye opened to reveal a shining, conflicted grey orb. Thoughts were swarming like annoying wasps in his head, and damn if he couldn't find enough peace and quiet to sleep, what with the loud snoring the Storm Guardian produced.

There was barely any noise as the skylark stood, closing his eyes once more and letting the forest breeze lift his shaggy hair. Quiet, but comforting and soothing to his ears, were the words of the forest's song.

* * *

"Ayame! Ayame, where are you?"

Ryo would've flinched at how loud his voice seemed to echo in the darkness, but his whole body ached like hell and he was sitting in a wheelchair that Mark had provided him with.

"Do you know where she is?" Mark asked, wheeling the device and male forward carefully, maneuvering over the treacherous forest terrain.

"I don't know, I can't sense her at all…" The Rain Guardian frowned, feeling the chilling feeling in his blood as it ran cold. _Ayame, where are you…? Answer me, please…_

They came to a stop at the edge of a cliff, and Ryo slowly bent over to talk a look, clutching at the handlebars of his wheelchair so he wouldn't fall. It was getting ridiculous, they had been searching high and low, in the most awkward and impossible places, like in the hole of a tree, under a bush, and the list went on.

Sighing, Ryo fell back against the support of the chair, exhausted, but still wanting to find his baby sister. The pain his body was screaming out in, though, was but one factor that was preventing him from doing so.

_Where are you, Ayame?_

* * *

Night melted into dawn as the sun rose from its rest. Birds that nested in the tall trees found it necessary to chirp out their morning song, and the disrupted peace led to the irritation of one handsome skylark.

Unforgiving grey orbs glared up at the orange-tinted sky, cursing the singing nuisance in the trees for waking him up as Hibari slowly sat up from his slouched position.

A soft bark got his attention, and he dragged his sleepy gaze towards the box animal that was panting and on all fours. Jiro wagged his tail at the skylark, recognizing him through his flames, and then let out another bark.

"What is it..?" Hibari found himself asking the mammal, which just turned and looked back at him as if to say 'follow me'.

The skylark found himself running after the dog, racing down the unforgiving terrain of the forest – down bumpy hills, over large, protruding tree roots and steep slopes.

Finally, they came to a stop, and over the edge of the tiny cliff they stood on, came the view of maroon blood all over the shining green grass, some even on the barks of the trees nearby. The wind whistled softly over the glade, and a body with dried blood lay in the middle, greeting the skylark's line of vision.

_Ayame._

* * *

This chapter was rather short. My apologies, my brain isn't working right for both my stories. Writers' block and all :I Besides that, school is starting soon as well. Hectic days, here I come once more. Hope you enjoyed, though. I'll try to get the rest of the chapters up quickly.


	13. Chapter 13

**DA Chap 13**

**WOW BEEN A REALLY LONG TIME. So. No words can really help in this apology. My excuse? School. Life's hectic in poly, that's for sure. Plus, I have a CCA performance coming up and that means lesser time to write as well. Also? Writers' block. Again, sorry for the delay, and the chapters may get shorter or longer depending on whether I want to end it at that dramatic standpoint or not. So yeah. Thanks for all your support and urging me to continue my story, I feel so loved.**

**Anyway, reviews, let's go!**

**XxShiroumiArisaxX, Mistress of Madness, Legend Of Silver; Again, thanks for your devotion of reading my story. Here's the next chapter, sorry for the extremely long wait! -bows- And don't worry, of course I'll complete it LOL. It's my pride and joy. And it has Hibari in it. c:  
**

**Guest (x7), animefreak, aloha; Thanks for all the urges lol. Here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

**IMPORTANT NOTE HERE v  
_I WILL CONTINUE TO BE BUSY IN SCHOOL EVEN THOUGH HOLIDAYS ARE COMING. I HAVE PERFORMANCES TO DO, THINGS TO TAKE CARE OF, AND MY OWN LIFE TO LEAD. I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS STORY, BUT UPDATES MAY BE VERY SLOW DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE TO ACTUALLY WRITE. ONE CHAPTER IS AIMED AT OVER 3,000 WORDS, SO DON'T THINK IT'S THAT EASY TO CHURN OUT. I DO NOT HAVE ANY DRAFTS OF THE STORY. EACH CHAPTER IS BASICALLY JUST WHAT I THOUGHT UP ON THE SPOT AND LINKING BACK TO THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS._**

**_PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT DANGEROUS ADDICTION! THANK YOU!_**

**_WARNING: THIS CHAPTER MAY CONTAIN TEXT THAT HINTS BOY-BOY RELATIONSHIP. IT MAY OR MAY NOT OCCUR IN THE LATER CHAPTERS._**

* * *

"… Akanke…" Hibari whispered, stepping forward slowly. Was she breathing? He knelt down and placed his finger under her nose.

Why was he shaking so badly? It was as if that if she was dead, he would have no purpose in life. He shook his head. That didn't ring true. She was a tough opponent, after all. He just wanted to win their fight. After all, he had to be the strongest.

His finger trembled under her nose. A whoosh of air from the female, and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

He'd hate to admit, though, he was somewhat glad that she was still alive. Jiro barked, and wagged its tail. Hibari moved his hand to lift her blood-stained shirt up, wanting to check her wounds.

"… What are you doing, Kyoya..?" She rasped, voice weak as she held his arm by his wrist, stopping him.

"… Checking your wounds," He replied calmly as he took her hand away and went back to lifting her shirt to check her wounds.

She stayed silent, wild thoughts racing through her head. Her body felt as if it was bruised and battered, like she'd been thrown into a pit of spikes. A headache rose, and she pressed two fingers to her temple.

"… You're injured badly," He stated the obvious, and she just stared at him, seeming to be in a daze. "Can you stand?"

"… Yes," She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I can fly."

He narrowed his eyes, and yanked her to her knees.

"Tsk!" She hissed in pain, but he paid her no heed and moved to lift her up. "Wha- What are you doing, Kyoya?"

The skylark had lifted her by the back of her knees, and was now carrying her like how a groom would to his bride.

"I'm taking you back to the campsite to rest and treat your wounds," He replied, still as calm as ever.

Clicking her tongue, the female kept silent as she hid her face against his chest, not wanting to face him. She wouldn't admit, but the warmth that Hibari emitted… it felt nice.

* * *

The leaves rustled, and the wind picked up the ends of his black hair as Ryo slowly blinked, waking up. He turned his head to the right, noticing that he'd been moved from the wheelchair to lie on the floor. His body still felt weak and raw, and he glanced around for Mark.

He spotted the ginger-haired male crouched over in the middle of a clearing, and was about to call out to him when said male turned.

"Oh, you're awake," He smiled at Ryo.

Standing up, he walked over to Ryo and crouched down again, holding a bowl of what seemed to be soup in his hand.

"Here, breakfast," He offered the bowl to the Rain Guardian. "Can you eat by yourself, or should I feed you?"

Ryo blinked, and then mumbled something incoherent as he laid his head back on the grass, feeling extremely dizzy.

"I'll take that as a 'you can't eat by yourself'," Mark told him as he sat down beside Ryo and scooped a spoonful of the soup, blowing a little before feeding it to the Guardian.

"… Thanks, Mark," Ryo muttered, letting the ginger-haired male feed him.

"Hey, no problem," Mark winked. "You'll just have to repay me with your body later."

"… Don't joke around," Ryo muttered again, closing his jaws around the spoon and tugging it out of the other's hand.

Mark reached forward to tug the spoon back out, eyes glinting, "… Sure. Call me Evon."

"Evon?" Ryo questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's my middle name," Mark, or rather, Evon, smiled. "I like it when you try to say my name. It sounds nice coming from your mouth."

"… Shut up, I'm not turning into a homosexual just because you feed me sweet words."

"… Whoever said anything about turning homosexual?"

* * *

The rain was merciless, pelting down heavily as Hibari lit a fire with the nearby wood. It had started pouring as he had carried her to the campsite, but before they could reach it, the rain stopped them.

Now, they were hiding in a cave, both shivering from the coldness of the still air. The fire crackled, and Hibari removed his jacket. Out of the corners of his eyes, he notices the faint trembling of Ayame's slender frame.

With a huge sigh, he scoots closer, however, not placing an arm around her. Their damp clothes stuck to each other on contact, and Ayame wiggled closer, obviously wanting more of the male's body heat.

"… It's not like I like you or anything," She whispered, clutching at the material of her clothes. "It's just really cold."

"… Yeah," Hibari grunted in return. "Not like I want you so close, either."

She smiled; a tiny tug on her pale lips. "Liar," She says, lifting her closed eyes to look at him, letting her smile drop. "… I can't see you."

"Tsk, means he's not close enough anymore…" Hibari raises a hand to ruffle his hair in frustration, sending droplets of rainwater everywhere.

"Hey, watch it," She protested weakly, pushing against his left shoulder where their clothes were intimately attached.

He didn't apologize as he reached over and shoved another log into the crackling fire. Silence ensued between the two, and Ayame turned her thoughts to her brother.

_Ryo… Where are you…? Are you safe…?_

* * *

The Rain Guardian let out a sneeze.

"Whoa, caught a cold already?" Evon snickered.

"Shut up," Ryo snorted, trying to keep his composure. However, without the sensation of his sister around, it threw his senses haywire.

Evon chuckled once more, and then proceeded to hum a tune.

"What do you want for dinner?" He popped the question as if they'd been living together for more than a month.

"Who says I'm eating dinner with you?" Ryo rolled his eyes. "I'm going to find Ayame."

"That's kind of a bad idea," Evon snickered once more, hiding his grin behind his hand.

"You know something, don't you?" Ryo leered at the ginger-haired male. "You know where she is… and who she's with, too."

The male let his ginger hair fall into his eyes, keeping quiet as he took off his shirt.

"Last one into the water's a rotten egg!" He yelled cheerfully before running into the lake.

"Hey!" Ryo protested as he tried to catch the male. "Evon! Wait!"

The male didn't turn back. Ryo struggled to get onto his feet, shocked at how light his body suddenly felt.

"Evon, wait!" He called again to the ginger-haired individual. "Evon!"

* * *

Ayame jolted awake. When had she been asleep? She gazed around her, eyes falling onto the male dozing next to her – Hibari Kyoya.

Reaching out a daring hand, she brushed his bangs away from his face, revealing his closed eyes and feeling his soft breath against her fingertips. Heavily, she sighed and clambered to her feet rather clumsily, her body complaining about getting up so soon.

She ignored it and stretched a little before she limped forward. _I... can see? _She thought as she glanced around once more. It was a bit bleary, and the edges were fuzzy. At least it was better than the pitch black darkness last night.

_Does that mean Ryo is close? _The thought struck her, and she fisted her hand, raising it to bite her white knuckles to calm herself down. Slowly, she took a few steps forward, checking her vision to see if it was clearing.

The gushing of a nearby river reached her ears, and what seemed to be an echo of a voice sounded. Gritting her teeth, she took a few more steps forward, her vision gradually beginning to sharpen with each step forward towards the sound of the gushing water.

Ayame could feel the buzzing of their link, the connection of their hearts and their curse. He was here; she could feel him, and she would get to him- He was just a few more metres away or so-

"… Ayame."

A voice husky from sleep sounded, and that was all it took to cut the link between Ayame and Ryo.

She jolted once more before turning towards the direction of the voice. Lifting her hands, she placed them on her hips and let her body shift to rest on one knee idly.

"Yes, Kyoya?" She replied, voice barely above a whisper from the long hours of sleep.

"Where do you think you're going?" He continued, still lying down on the ground. One grey orb was opened and observing her every movement.

"I thought I sensed Ryo," She replied coolly. "However, I can't feel him anymore, thanks to someone."

"… Whatever, let's search then," Hibari grunted and got to his feet.

He turned towards the direction she was headed to, walking quickly with smooth, wide steps. Resigned to her fate of being stuck with the aloof Cloud, Ayame sighed and reached out to grab hold of the leather jacket.

"I can see," She informed him. "But everything's bleary."

"That means he's near," Hibari grunted again, and then started walking, though slower this time so she could keep up.

"I heard a voice from the river near here," She nodded towards the sound of the gushing water. "Maybe he's there."

"Let's go then," He went towards the direction of the river.

* * *

"… So, what are we doing here?" Ryo questioned the male who was standing in the water.

"Fishing," Evon grinned widely, showing his white teeth. "For dinner."

Glancing down at the bucket beside him, Ryo felt exasperated. _Was it dinner or lunch, exactly?_

"How many fish do we even need for two people?" He questioned, staring at the bucket full of flopping fishes.

"We're having guests tonight," Evon said with a smile before he lifted his arm and sliced it through the water as if it were a sword.

His swift movement caught another fish, and he tossed it into the bucket.

"Guests?" Crimson orbs flickered to the male in the water. "Cho?"

"Nope," was all Evon said before he lifted his arm to catch another fish. "Other guests."

"Who are they, exactly?" Ryo questioned once more, fed up with the ginger-haired male's way of beating around the bush.

"Someone you hold close to your heart," Evon answered before tossing the fish he caught into the bucket. "That should be enough to satisfy their hunger. Let's go."

"Go where, exactly?" Ryo asked again, even more frustrated at the male for not answering his questions.

"Back to the camp so we can wait," He got up and out of the river, lifting the bucket off the ground.

Sighing, Ryo followed the male back to where they'd been sleeping before.

* * *

The echo of gushing water reached their ears as Hibari and Ayame both reached the river. Swivelling his head, Hibari surveyed the area before turning to Ayame.

"Seems like he's left already," He told her, no longer irritated by her hand on his back. "How's your vision?"

"Still bleary," She lowered her head, feeling a little melancholic. However, she couldn't show weakness now. "Where do you think they've headed?"

Hibari looked around the area once more, and spotted some tracks – footprints of a human, and the soles of shoes.

"Looks like they were headed this way," He told her, turning and walking.

She followed, hand still latched onto his jacket. Prying it off the material, Hibari took her pale wrist and pulled her along.

"You'll slow us down if you keep clinging onto me," He grunted, grasping her wrist lightly. "Just follow me."

"Mm, okay," She murmured, secretly liking the electric warmth that shot up her veins when he touched her.

_No, what am I thinking? _She thought, almost shaking her head to shake the thoughts out. _This can't be, I am not going to get attached to this person._

Hibari was frustrated by his thoughts as well – how much more did his brain have to torture him into thinking her scent was alluring, how silky her hair was, how pale and creamy her skin was, and how tempting her mouth was-

The Cloud was close to hitting something – or rather, someone – but he bottled it all up for now. He'd let it all out later, he decided as they continued to follow the trail of tracks left by wet feet.

* * *

They first saw the fire and heard the crackling of it, before they sighted the camp set up. The smell of cooked fish filled the air, and the two silhouettes sitting on the ground and grilling the fishes seemed very relaxed.

_I can see, _Ayame noted. She blinked, and then her gaze zoomed in on the one person sitting on the ground staring at the fish being grilled by his partner.

"… Ryo!" She cried out, recognizing her twin straightaway.

He jolted, and turned, eyes lighting up instantly when he heard her sweet voice, "Baby sister!"

In a flash, her arms were wrapped around his neck tightly, and he felt the coldness of her damp skin, as if she'd been in the river, against his warm body.

Hibari glanced at the other figure – the head of wild, messy orange hair seemed extremely familiar. Wasn't that the guy who was always beside Cho, and the one who helped her in frightening the students that day in school? It certainly was, and steel eyes narrowed at the silhouette.

Glancing up, Evon smiled at the warm reunion of the twins, and ran a hand through his hair. Truth to be told, he knew Cho was going to kill him for this – even though she really stood no chance against him. Besides, he could drag this out longer, stay by the twins and the skylark for now. After all, what, or rather, who piqued his interest right now, was Ryo Akanke himself.

* * *

"I can't believe that Mark!" Cho screamed as she threw her parasol to the ground in frustration. "Thanks to him, I lost Ryo! And now, probably he's gone back to Ayame! Ugh!"

"Mistress, please calm down," A maid said as she tried to calm the blonde down. "You have to change out of your clothes or you'll catch cold."

Turning and glaring at the mere servant who dared to speak to her, Cho snapped.

"I DON'T CARE! GO OUT AND FIND MARK RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW!"

Pink and frilly objects flew with their master's rage as the maid scurried out of the door, lifting her skirts to run faster.

Really now, what a terribly-tempered mistress they had, she sighed as she took the raincoat off its hanger and put it on. Well, now she had to go search for the mistress's errand boy.

* * *

"Well, I should go," Evon stood up, a stick of grilled fish still in his mouth. "Cho's probably flying into a rage looking for me."

"I never really said this all the time we were together," Ryo smiled at the male as he stood up to leave. "Thank you for saving me."

"Hey, now," Evon flashed a mischievous grin. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just doing this to entertain myself."

Ayame stared at Evon, who nodded and turned to leave. Once the male was out of their sights, she turned to her brother.

"Ryo," She began. "By any chance, do you _like _Mark?"

Her brother spluttered and choked on her sudden, rather _interesting _question.

"What…" He muttered first, trying to catch his breath as he coughed. "What the _hell, _Ayame?"

"Well," She started again, barely batting an eyelash when she opened one eye to look at her brother. "It seemed that way."

"… Impossible," He uttered.

"What's impossible is possible if you believe it is possible," Ayame said quickly, closing her one eye again.

"This is irritating," The Cloud Guardian, with a brief furrow of his brow when she spoke so fast, muttered before he settled himself against a tree trunk. "Don't wake me up."

With that said, he fell asleep promptly. Ayame sighed, exasperated at him always doing what he wanted, but turned her head to stare at the sky from where she sat. The fading hues from light blue to orange and pink, pink to dark blue, and finally, the darkness fell above the trio.

Crackling loudly and burning brightly beside them was the fire, still going. The bucket of fishes had been drained to about 1 trout and 2 red snappers, which Ayame slowly turned over the heat.

"What about you?" Ryo began now, not even casting a glance to the sleeping skylark behind him as he shifted to sit beside his sister. "How's it going with Kyoya?"

"Kyoya isn't-" She protested, but was silenced by his strong gaze.

"It's quite obvious, baby sister," He muttered quietly, reaching out to the fire, almost touching it. "You know the difference of strength between us and him, though, don't you?"

He continued, tone serious, "Added to that, I have a few things to say. One thing would be that Cho is really back for revenge. The other is about Mark – or Evon, rather."

"Evon?" She questioned, tilting her head at him as she gazed at him.

"It's his middle name," He informed her. "Do you remember the tattoos he had on his cheeks, below his eyes?"

"… Yes, those looked familiar."

"Those are the legendary beast's marks," Ryo's eyes flashed. "I read it before. Those are the marks of Tulbar, the legendary beast. Evon doesn't really have experience using his powers, though."

"If I remember correctly," The Wind Guardian cut in, placing a hand on her chin in thought. "_Those who have these marks bestowed upon them are never mere mortals. _Was that how the prophecy went?"

"Yes," He nodded. "You do realize what that means don't you?"

"Cho's got an immortal on her side," She frowned. "Can't you do something about Mark- Evon, Ryo?"

"Were you thinking of me kissing him and telling him I loved him, making everything fine and dandy again?" Ryo shot in one breath, one crimson eye twitching to show irritation at his sister's irrationality. "I'm sure you know by now that I'm not _homosexual_."

On hearing that, she rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it _that _way, Ryo. Couldn't you talk to him and somehow persuade him to join our side?"

"He mentioned before," He glanced at her closed eyes before turning back again. "He's not on any side."

"You never know, Ryo," She frowned at him.

"I believe him," He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, pausing for a moment. "I'm tired. I'll go to sleep first."

"Alright, goodnight," She whispered as he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

"I'm glad we're together again," He whispered back, crimson eyes gleaming in the moonlight as he propped himself up against a tree trunk and slid into a peaceful slumber.

Ayame sighed, and looked back up at the moon. Things had gotten complicated, but they would only become more complicated from now on.

* * *

The night was quiet as Evon strolled through the forest, heading towards the mansion that Cho lived in.

"Mark-san! There you are!" A maid burst out into the clearing, dress torn from the scratchy vines that shrouded the forest.

"Ah, hey, Emily," He smiled and waved at the main before eyeing her torn dress and the bruises decorating her light skin. "Cho's throwing a temper again?"

The maid sighs, not bothering to dust herself off, "You know it."

He chuckled again, "I'm sorry for making her throw her temper at you guys."

"It's fine!" Emily protested; face lighting up on hearing the handsome male's small laugh. "It's because Mark-san is important to Mistress, that's why."

Evon smiled, "Let us return, then."

* * *

The moon was bright and round. Around them, the leaves rustled with the symphony of the wind, and Ayame lifted her head to let the breeze cool her cheeks. Sighing softly so as to not awake the other two, she shifted and then lay down, spreading her body to lie flat on her stomach.

Her thoughts were rapidly switching between Hibari – that accursed Cloud Guardian – and her brother. Evon, as well. What was the ginger male doing with them, helping Ryo to escape when he knew Cho's wrath? Ayame acknowledged the fact that Cho was angry with her – and didn't actually care one bit.

_Why is he helping us? _She bit her lip, deep in thought. Her figure was shone upon by the silver moonlight, basking her in all its glory and giving an essence of a heavenly angel that seemed to be asleep.

_Who exactly is he? What is he? _Pondering, pondering. It was only a matter of time before the female's head started to throb.

Sighing yet again, she turned to lie on her side and willed her mind to sleep. Maybe she'd fret over this tomorrow.

* * *

"WHY DID YOU HELP HIM ESCAPE?!" Cho screamed once she saw the familiar head of ginger hair pop around the door. "HE'S THE ONLY ONE THING TO MAKE AYAME CRUMBLE!"

She flung one vase, two – did they have such an unlimited amount of vases in the house? – at his head, which the male efficiently dodged.

"There is another," He hissed, eyes almost narrowing to slits in excitement. The glint those azure orbs held was bright; almost dangerous. "Another that affects her just as greatly."

Cho stopped; paused.

"Who is it?" She asked, deliberately spacing out her words, as if to convince a stubborn child to tell a secret. "Come on Mark, spill the beans."

"I'll only tell," He smirked at her greedy expression. "If you promise me that I get Ryo."

The female reeled back in horror, almost blanching at his almost-sadistic expression. Over the few years she'd known him, she thought of him to be quite an enigma – a person she'd never figure out. His moods were easy to guess though, like how a flower would perk up in the sun, or how a dog would growl when in threat.

She gulped; she had to think this over carefully. Mark was one to break his toys when he got them, and he'd waste no time in breaking Ryo. She'd loved him. Could she give him up so easily? Her thoughts turned to having Ayame crumble, and the greedy shine in her eyes came back once more.

Licking her dry lips, she turned her gaze to his azure ones, and lifted her arms. Smiling at her acknowledgement of his power, he stepped forward and grasped her left elbow. With a smooth motion, he sliced down with something that appeared in his hand – sharp, small, deadly – and produced a steady trickle of blood.

He leaned down, and with their eyes they acknowledged their promise. As his tongue ran over her blood, they vowed. Till the mission ended, this would have to do.


	14. Chapter 14

**DA Chap 14**

**It's here! It's finally here! After days, weeks, months of torturous school work and reflection journals, I finally managed to get this out! I had a severe major, difficult-to-break writers' block. orz I'm so sorry for the late updates, but I'll have y'all know that poly (college) is not easy, not easy at all. Besides that, I also have commitments to my guitar and I also, unfortunately, HAVE A LIFEEEEEEE. D: **

**Anyway, moving on... This chapter.. is a bit short. I figured that I should already publish something since it's the New Year, and I DO KNOW AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT I MADE YOU GUYS WAIT. FOR. A. FREAKING. LONG. PERIOD. OF. TIME. And then I suddenly pop out with an excuse - the most common one - school. Of course.**

**Okay, so, review time. Thank you all for taking the time to review the chapters! I love you all! MWAH! **

_Major thanks goes to Mistress of Madness for understanding that school and life are way more important than writing stories. :D _**  
**

_And thank you all for continuing to show your support for Dangerous Addiction, I really really appreciate it that you all really like this story so much. It means a lot to me. c: So, without further ado, I hope that this next chapter pleases you despite it's relative short length._

_Oh, and, points for spotting the Fairy Tail reference ;D_

* * *

"… Why, did I have to be stuck with _you, _of all people?" Ayame scowled when she batted away the huge leaf in front of her to catch sight of a certain skylark waiting for her.

Reborn had split them into groups of three to keep it safe – Tsuna was with Gokudera and Yamamoto, Ryohei was paired with Dino and Chrome was probably safe with Ken and Chikusa. That left Lambo, who was most probably sleeping his lazy ass off at home, under the trustworthy protection of Bianchi.

"Don't take it into heart, baby sister," Ryo yawned as he appeared behind her. Both of them were much calmer now that they could feel their bond.

The skylark didn't utter a word, just narrowed his eyes and turned away. Ayame stared at his back longingly, comparing the similarities between Hibari and him once again.

She got a pat on her head for that, and she looked up at her brother.

"Don't try to deny your own feelings," He mouthed to her before he moved forward.

She scowled, "Don't tell me what to do."

They started on their way, the pair ignoring each other as Ryo lagged behind, feeling amused at their antics and sort of empty. Was it because he'd been following Evon around too much that he felt a kind of attachment to said male? He shook it off, and almost tripped over a tree root that was sticking out from the ground.

Ayame turned, eyeing her brother through closed eyes after feeling the jolt of shock run through their bond. He gave an innocent 'I'm-okay' face, and she turned back to face the front, glancing at the skylark walking silently beside her.

He was staring straight ahead, as if completely trying to ignore her very presence right beside him. In Hibari's head, he was thinking of what to say, or maybe what _not _to say, and the teenager had already decided on the fact that he seemed so… 'Attracted' to Ayame was because of his hormones. Yes, hormones. After all, teenagers always were linked to the term 'raging hormones'. He guessed he could blame it on his hormones for his strange and sudden attraction to her.

With each thought, the skylark grew more irate, and his face showed just how pissed off he was.

Not only that – there was this dark, depressing… maybe a little ominous and dangerous aura that was shrouding his body, and Ayame could feel just a bit of anger radiating from the skylark.

She sighed inwardly – just how long did she have to keep linking Hibari back to him? They were so very similar – from their cold eyes and hairstyle to aloof personality and obsession of settling everything with fights. Although, she admitted that Alaude had always been more of a silent, calmer person than Hibari would ever be – maybe if the latter matured a little…

… Nah. That thought was just… weird.

"… Look out," The skylark said too late.

"KYA!"

"… Did she just say 'kya'?" Ryo blinked, taken aback by the girlish cry – even though he knew his sister was a girl.

Hibari just stared at the large hole where she had fallen into. In moments she climbed out and brushed herself down. They blinked, surprise evident in their eyes.

"You didn't see anything," She insisted and just turned and started to walk.

The two males kept silent and just started to stroll right behind her, and silence fell between the three.

* * *

Evon yawned, feeling the warm rays of sunlight fan down on his cheeks through the open window. Cho's castle had this girly-princess feel to it – whereby all the windows were thrown open just so "a prince would think that the damsel in distress needed help and would come to save her".

He turned his body – and rolled right off the edge of his bed.

"… Well, this is a _nice_ way to start the morning…" He grumbled to himself as he rubbed his back.

His ears perked as an eerie silence rang throughout the mansion, hinting the lack of presence from Cho. _She probably went to find Ryo and warn him, _Evon thought, smirking. _Silly girl, he won't believe a word she says. Not after he's chatted with me._

A quirk of thin, sensual lips, showing a set of pearly whites with two fanged teeth at the very sides gave a sadistic smile, shining in the darkness… _Just like the beast that resided within him._

* * *

Ryo shuddered, and then gave a slight sneeze, making his sister turn to look at him through narrowed eyes.

_What the heck are you doing? _She leered. Her sneeze had thrown her thoughts into disarray, and she was a little irritated by that.

_I think someone's talking about me, _he chuckled as he aimed that thought back at her. She just stared silently at him, before she sighed and turned back.

_Did you get caught in the rain recently? Don't catch a cold. _She chided, and he chuckled inwardly at her tone.

_Yes ma'am._

* * *

The leaves rustled quickly with the produced wind behind her as Cho dashed through the damp grass, collecting dew on the soles of her shoes. Her only thoughts were to hurry and find Ryo before Mark actually went to do something to him, the way he'd promised with their contract.

_Twang_, a sudden tug at her gut got her stumbling, and she fell instantly, scraping her palms and knees on the scratchy grass. Her eyes widened, and she quickly scrambled to her feet, trying to get them to move as fast as they could before he could control her mind – before he could control her thoughts, before he could control her – her whole body, the way he could just swallow her soul… Just like the beast he was.

**You won't make it.**

His voice echoed through her, thicker, grimmer, and it was growling. It was growling – at her. She shivered immediately, body quivering instinctively as she continued to run, whether away from the monster or towards her goal… She didn't know.

* * *

"Let's take a break here then," Ayame walked over to a shaded spot underneath a tree and plopped her body down.

Her brother took a seat beside her, and Kyoya sat a few feet away, ignoring them. Looking around, Ayame noted a stream nearby, gushing with clear liquid. She got up, and walked over to the edge, looking into the water.

"You hungry?" Ayame asked the two males without turning back.

"Yeah, is there any fish in there?" Ryo replied, while the skylark just let out a grunt, which she took as a 'yes'.

Raising her arm, she struck at the water, holding a rather large fish in her hand. It flapped hard, trying to escape, but her fingers were just like claws, and she didn't let go no matter how much it struggled.

"Ryo, start a fire," She told him as she continued to hold the fish as it battled against her.

Having heard her, Ryo got to his feet, broke a hanging branch above his head and plucked the withering leaves from them, tossing those to the ground before he pulled out a match and struck it against the box, lighting it up and watching as the flames flickered between yellow and orange. He tossed it into the pile, watching the withering leaves and branch catch on fire that lapped at the air, eating up the oxygen.

"Got the fire," He informed his sister, and she turned, tossing the fish right into the flames, which jumped up to lick at it.

"Don't burn it."

After saying so, she turned her attention back to the stream filled with frightened fishes, raising her hand once again.

In a heartbeat, there were about 3 fishes cooking in the fire, and they sat about huddled around the fire, eating the first fish they had already cooked. Ayame took hungry bites of the meat, pulling it off like a wolf instead of just chewing it off.

It was clearly a fascinating sight – a girl devouring the flesh of a fish in a way just like the natural predator of the marine life would do – and Hibari found his gaze fixated on the brunette, attention on the soft pink lips that came together each time she bit and chewed.

What he would give… Just for another chance for their lips to meet again-

The hell was he thinking? He jammed the brakes on that specific train of thought before anything happened and let out a little growl. _Damn hormones, _he cursed before taking his frustration silently out of the fish by glaring at it as it cooked in the fire.

He started to blame the fish for all his problems. Who could blame him, anyway? It was probably the first time he had started to notice a pretty girl, and the first time he'd noticed he held such feelings for a girl. Besides that, the stupid fish was the one who made Ayame's lips move like that. That's right – it was because she was eating that damn fish did he get attracted to her mouth and want to kiss her in the first place! Damn the fish. Damn it.

* * *

The grass was being tortured. Heavy, treading footsteps rained upon them as a 65kg male with bright ginger hair skipped excruciatingly slow across the floor, humming an odd tune.

"Run little children, there is no time to play," He sang as he continued to skip, one step… another step… and yet another step.

Beneath his shoes, the grass remained flat, crushed like ants.

"I might~ Just kill you~ Today~"

_He's nearing, _Cho's immediate thought was. The tune he was humming was echoing through her mind. She could almost see his azure eyes right there in front of her, magnified by a thousand times. The darkest hues were moving in ripples around the lighter shades, hypnotizing, and she shivered, feeling her mind begin to blank out.

_I can't- I have to fight- I can't stop now- Ryo needs me! I hate Ayame but Ryo needs me! I have… to… save Ryo…_

… Darkness consumed her alive.

_**Saa… Gēmu o kaishi shimashou**_.*

* * *

* Translation: Now, let the game begin.


	15. Chapter 15

**DA Chap 15**

**First off, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEW 3 ! SERIOUSLY, I LOVE YOU GUYS SO FREAKING MUCH FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THE STORY EVEN THOUGH I STINK AS AN AUTHOR AND MY ENGLISH HAS BEEN DEPROVING EVER SINCE I LEFT SECONDARY SCHOOL. **

**Thank you all who reviewed, it's much appreciated. I love seeing how much you guys love the story though it may not be up to standard to me. Thank you so much for putting up with me. :') Love you guys. **

**Without further ado, here's chapter 15! It's also a little short, like 3,000 words instead of 5,000, but I just had to end on that serious note. 3 Enjoy!**

* * *

"I'm going to take a walk, okay?" Ryo whispered to his sister as he slowly got up. He could feel the electrifying tension in the air and he didn't want to stay to see what the two could get tangled into.

"Okay," She answered, shifting even closer to the fire so that she could keep warm, and perhaps even more distance from the skylark that was asleep in the corner.

He went towards the deeper part of the woods, not knowing exactly where he could go and also knowing he couldn't go too far in case Cho or Evon showed up.

"Be careful Ryo," Ayame called out. "I've got this ominous feeling."

Nodding his acknowledgement to his sister, he walked away from the clearing. He could feel there was an unsettling silence in the forest, as if something big was about to happen, just like Ayame had warned. There was certainly an ominous ring to the still air surrounding the forest, and he didn't like it. He could tell she didn't either.

_She has Kyoya there to fight as well, _he told himself. _There is no reason to turn back unless a threat really comes up. When Ayame needs me, she'll call me… I'll know when she needs help. _

* * *

Ayame shifted again, feeling the sudden shift in the air. There was a hint of bloodlust hanging in the still air; she glanced around for signs that an enemy may be in hiding nearby. There was no chance of an ambush, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She looked over at the skylark – listening intently for any signs that he was awake. A deep breath in and out told her that he was clearly asleep. Sighing and moving her body into a more relaxed position, she rolled her head back and thought back on the events that happened so far.

Cho was coming after, it was for sure. Mark – or Evon, whichever really was him, could be there, and he could be or couldn't be a threat. She shuffled through the possibilities in her head, thinking of whose side Evon was actually on. The way he behaved just now when he was together with them wasn't really what she would call an enemy's behaviour – unless he was doing that just to get closer to them. After all, like the saying went, "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".

Sighing, she glanced over at the sleeping male again, and when she saw no change in his breathing pattern, she shifted from her position. She stepped lightly on the grass so that he wouldn't be woken up, and laid against a tree opposite of him, but closer to the fire.

Truthfully, she didn't think that Evon was truly on a side – besides that nagging feeling she had, she also thought that he was interested in Ryo, genuinely interested in Ryo. Of course, she didn't know for certain, but she observed from how the pair communicated previously that he _did _have at least a speck of interest in her brother.

_I don't think Evon is definitely on Cho's side… Because if he was, why would he free Ryo…? Or is that because he doesn't want Cho to fight unfairly against us? Is it because he wants to have a fair, just fight instead of what she had planned? Evon isn't really on our side too, because he's with Cho… He came with Cho – there is not much chance that he'd side with us so easily just because Cho is out-of-whack and a lunatic._

She tilted her head back and leaned against the bark of the tree – she could feel the weariness lacing her eyelids and making them flutter close, and she didn't try to keep them open. Darkness greeted her, and she tugged on the link between her and Ryo.

_Are you going to be safe, Ryo?_

Complete silence filled her mind.

… _Yes, baby sister. Don't worry, alright? Get some rest. I'll be back by dawn._

Her lips quirked up at the sound of his voice, knowing he was safe.

_Alright Ryo… goodnight… Come back safe._

_Goodnight baby sister._

Then she let herself completely drift away.

* * *

Ryo batted away another branch from his face, feeling the link between him and Ayame fade away into a faint buzzing in his gut – a sign that she had fallen asleep. He prayed that she kept her ears open for any signs of ambush, but he knew that she was as alert as she could be even in her sleep. He sighed, hearing only his footsteps in the silence of the woods. It was creepy – usually at this timing, some sort of sound would be heard, like crickets chirping, or small stuff like that.

Scratching the back of his head and ruffling his hair, he stopped walking and turned his gaze up to the sky. It was littered with little to no stars, but the night was beautiful with a full moon. He thought back to the day when Evon had saved him. Why exactly had Evon done it?

"_Ryo, by any chance, do you like Mark?"_

Ayame's words suddenly rang in his head loud and clear. He jolted with that thought, and a slight flush covered his face as blood rose up. _Why did I think about that out of the blue? Jeez. Get back on track, Ryo._

He sighed – just _who _exactly was Evon? Was he really somebody on the enemy's side, or was he someone who wanted entertainment and decided to go along with Cho on her plans just because it seemed to be fun and he wanted something to do? Evon had mentioned before that he wasn't on either side, but he _had _returned to Cho eventually.

_Why did he need to go back if he's not on her side? _Ryo questioned himself. _If he's not on her side, why would he fight us back that time when Cho came into Namimori? _

Ryo remembered that day when Cho had appeared in the school – right in the middle of the classroom, and how much panic had been caused just because of that. He clenched his fists, remembering how Evon had fought against him, until Hibari intercepted.

His thoughts then shifted onto the potential, mutual feelings that Hibari and his sister could have for each other – she was making it very obvious, not to people that she was close to, though – and he, he was just a troublesome little pest who had a huge bloodlust for discipline that led to fights and violence. Their personalities were only one in the fact that they liked to fight and were fighting-obsessed, and that was where it ended. From then on, their personalities just clashed – both of them were too hot-headed and strength-obsessed…

Their personalities were so similar it was sort of painful. Ryo chuckled wryly to himself, noting that despite their clashing personalities, they had a mutual attraction, just a tiny spark, if anything, between the both of them.

Then his thoughts shifted back to himself and more importantly, Evon. He lifted his face to the moon and sighed softly to himself.

"Just you are you, Evon…?"

"Talking to me?"

With a gasp, Ryo whirled around, and found himself nose to nose with a certain ginger-haired male he'd been filling his head with recently.

"Evon!" He exclaimed, surprised that the boy had shown up.

"Miss me?" The taller male chuckled, and put a hand on Ryo's cheek. "It's only been a short while."

Ryo realized his position and turned his face away from the touch – it burned where the male's fingers left a trace.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned, thoughts scrambled up as he panicked a little. "Shouldn't you be with Cho?"

He hadn't meant for the second question to sound like the biting curiosity of a jealous lover.

Evon chuckled, "What? Are you jealous or something?"

"What would I be jealous for?" Ryo composed himself, breathed in a deep breath and let it out, closing his eyes and forcing his shoulders to relax. "It's not like we have anything special."

"I'm hurt," The ginger jumped a step forward, presenting a moonlit view of his muscled back to Ryo, forcing the latter to come to a late realization that he wasn't wearing a shirt. "I thought we had _something_."

The black-haired male could barely contain the rolling of his eyes in excruciation – he then walked around the other to look up at his face.

"Something?!" He spat out, feeling a sudden boiling anger burning, scratching at his throat.

Azure eyes widened at the venom lacing the angelic voice. This was the first time Evon had heard Ryo sound _fierce _throughout the time they'd spent together. _What's he angry about? _The male thought to himself, suddenly finding himself the object of Ryo's wrath.

What exactly was Ryo angry about? He himself didn't know, but he knew that there was a seething vision of red buried underneath all his pent-up frustration – from his sister, to his powers, to the male standing before him – and the build-up had ultimately led to an explosion, which Evon had just skipped merrily into.

"What you think is something isn't something at all," Ryo narrowed his eyes at Evon, who put up his hands in mock surrender. "You're just _playing. _There's nothing in it for you even if you lose."

Evon could hear the anger that was hidden in the tone that Ryo had taken – he was trying to keep the rage in, but it was there. The male kept quiet, letting the black-haired boy unleash his frustration.

"Whose side are _you_ on, Evon?"

The male picked up his head, letting his eyes rest on Ryo's. Surprised azure eyes met still crimson ones – crimson eyes that kept a hint of hurt at bay, a hint that Evon could pick out.

_Does Ryo really feel frustrated by me? Of my reasons why I'm here? _He lifted her hand and ran it through his wild ginger hair, noticing how Ryo's eyes were glued onto him all the while he moved.

"Why do you care?" He had meant for that to sound like an amused question, but it came out hoarse and testy.

Honestly, Ryo didn't really know the reason why he felt the way he did currently – about why he cared so much about which side Evon was on. But to suddenly come to the realization that Evon perhaps might not want him prodding into his life, the crushing feeling of devastation was a hundred times more.

Ryo swallowed, and lowered his gaze to the ground, not wanting to look into those questioning azure orbs any longer. He was not wanted, at least by Evon. Swallowing again, this time with tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, he closed his eyes and sighed. He should probably return to the camp site.

"No reason," He managed to choke out, before he turned away from Evon and began to walk back.

The ginger-haired male watched as Ryo went back the way he came, and frowned. There was something about the boy that seemed so melancholic, as if a sudden surge of sadness overwhelmed him – his steps were slower, his body seemed lethargic and he had stopped looking him in the eyes.

Another problem was, was Evon going to stand by and watch as his new favourite person walk away from him…?

Well, that was a definite no.

* * *

"RYO!" Ayame jolted awake, feeling warm and sweat on her forehead.

Hibari stirred and cracked open an eye to glare at the female.

"What the hell are you doing," He growled out lowly, voice husky from sleep, "Screaming in the middle of the night?"

Her eyes darted and landed on him.

"Ryo, he…" She trailed off, with a look of shock in her eyes.

"He?" Hibari questioned, clearly irritated.

"He's screaming," She mumbled, tilting her head at the internal screaming that was Ryo. Something had obviously happen, and the mountain of curse words that were being hurled inside of Ryo's head meant something big. "Something…"

Hibari stared, waiting for her to evaluate and analyse exactly what Ryo was saying.

"… Somebody… Evon…? Lips… Touch…?" Ayame tilted her head even more. "I think Evon kissed him?"

"What is he, gay?" The skylark snorted.

Ayame rolled her eyes and then narrowed them at him.

"My brother is _not _gay," She growled at him, to which he just raised a brow. "I think Evon is though."

Raising his eyebrow even higher, Hibari just stared at her.

"Well, you can't deny that he's interested in Ryo," She protested.

"I'm not really interested in whatever love story they have," He replied, settling back onto the ground. "Are you not going to go find your brother?"

"Whatever for?" She snorted and lay back down. "He can take care of himself, no problem. Though, that was his first kiss…"

* * *

_What the fuck just happened- what the fuck just happened-_

Ryo chanted in his head the moment he felt something warm on his lips right before he saw Evon in his face. He'd been stunned just for a prolonged moment – before he reached up and pushed him away quickly and rubbed his lips across his sleeve. He stared at Evon with an incredulous look, both shocked and a little traumatized at what had just happened.

With an unreadable expression on his face, Evon stared back at Ryo – azure orbs locked on crimson ones. Furrowing his brows, Ryo looked away from Evon, unsure of what to say or do, and they both stood in silence, neither saying a word.

Pushing his thoughts aside, Ryo scrambled to get his calmness back. He took a few steps away from the ginger, eyeing him all the time and then turned to walk away.

This time, Evon didn't stop him.

* * *

Grey eyes fluttered open, and Hibari did a quick scan of the quiet surroundings. He noted the female, still asleep on her side of the opening, and he slowly got up, yawning a little. Eyeing the sleeping female, he got up and moved closer to the fire. The night was chilly, and the wind was blowing through the glade.

He stretched out a little as he stood by the flame, and stared down at Ayame. Her sleeping face was innocent, the pale moonlight making her seem almost angelic, unlike the demonic fighting-obsessed person she was. _Hormones, _he shook his head quickly at himself. _Hormones._

However, those hormones weren't the only ones egging him on to reach out, to touch her soft skin, to stroke her silky hair, and the poor teenager was having a hard time restraining himself for once in his entire disciplined life.

After various protests from his mind about the touching the girl or not, the skylark finally crumbled and reached out to stroke the fair skin on her cheeks – just as said female woke up.

"… What are you doing?" She said in a quiet tone, and he stayed rooted in his position, arm outstretched.

"I was going to…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say for once. "I was going to wake you."

"Whatever for?" She questioned, bringing herself to an upright position.

Giving him a sideways glance with her usual closed eyes, he let his eyes trail all over her frame, her face, her body, her legs…

"Kyoya."

He looked up at her, and received a stare. Withdrawing his arm, he shifted and sat closer to the fire. Silence ensued, and he watched the fire. While he was watching the fire, she watched him.

The sky was slowly turning into dawn, the first signs of morning. Worry was etched on the female's face – her brother still hadn't returned, and he'd been with Evon, the enemy at the last moments of midnight.

"He'll be back," Hibari said in a cool, quiet tone.

She didn't reply, but he could see traces of assurance on her face. Sighing, he stood up and crossed over to her – making her look up at him startled. Slowly, he sank down onto the grass right beside her, not saying a word. However, she knew it was a way to comfort her, a special way for the skylark to say voicelessly, "I'm here for you", and she smiled.

"Thank you, Kyoya…"

* * *

They sat there for very long, as orange began to light the skies up in a bright, lukewarm shade. It was silent, and peaceful; everything seemed so pretty at that moment.

A figure crashed through the bushes into the glade.

"Ryo!" Ayame exclaimed, jolted by the loud sound. She'd been about to fall asleep – on Hibari's shoulder, for goodness sake – but Ryo had suddenly made a loud appearance.

Her brother was panting, eyes wide with a fine sheen of perspiration on his body from all the frantic running he'd been doing. Still panting, he sank down, into a dark spot close to their pair.

"What's wrong?" She asked her brother in a soft tone and staying in her spot, knowing that he'd lash out in surprise if she were to go over and touch him.

With his chest rising and falling heavily as if he'd just been in a marathon, he looked at his sister. The vulnerability in his crimson orbs were clear as day – and she stood up, going over to him instantly.

Bending down, she put her arms around him, and patted his hair. He leaned into her embrace, his pants soon subsiding into silence. The silence continued, as the siblings held their position and Hibari watched in an uninterested fashion.

"What happened?" She asked him again, after he calmed down.

He turned up to look at her, and gave a huge sigh.

"Evon, he- He…" Ryo trailed off, upset at what had taken place. "He kissed me."

His sister and the skylark quirked their eyebrows, seemingly taken aback by what he had just said.

Ryo shivered as he recalled the experience – but they were _good _shivers, shivers you got when you were turned on – and that was _bad, _really, really _bad._

"Ryo?" Ayame questioned, feeling his uneasiness at the involuntary racking of his body.

He dipped his head, "Don't worry, and think nothing of it, baby sister."

She heard his words, and nodded mechanically. However, the link between them was throbbing with uncertainty and hints of pleasure, and she could try to read deeper, in-between the lines of the signals he was sending to her unconsciously to uncover what he was thinking – but she knew better than to pry into her brother's personal matters.

For the record, the one thing they couldn't mess or probe into each other's lives would be everything that involved romance. Sometimes they'd be nice and try to help by advising each other not to deny their feelings, like Ryo with Ayame, and back then also.

Untangling herself from her brother, she moved and sat beside him, not looking in the direction of Hibari as they watched the sky light up with the sunrise even more.

"What do you think will happen now?" She asked, aiming the question at both males.

"I don't know," Ryo answered frankly, while she got no reply from the other.

Slowly, she tilted her head upwards to face the sky, and sighed. She had a very ominous feeling; the forest also reeked of killing intention and bloodlust, and that meant that some blood was going to be shed – and somebody was going to have to die.

_Just what was going to happen, and who was going to die?_


	16. Chapter 16

**DA Chap 16**

**Hi guys, I'm back with another chapter! In case y'all didn't know, I'm officially on SEMI-HIATUS, and this means that I won't post for long periods of time because I'm going to become even busier the next school semester; also I have important exams coming up and I should be studying.**

**I really wish to finish this series, along with my Pokemon one quickly so that I won't be so stressed out ;_; **

**BUT OMG THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WONDERFUL LOVE, REVIEWS AND SUBSCRIBES. I HAVE LOST MY ABILITY TO CAN'T WITH Y'ALL. I LOVE YOU ALL SOSOSOSOSO MUCH. OTL I only wish I was a better author who updated more often for you guys. I LOVE YOU ALL. ❤❤❤❤❤**

**and again, there's hints of boy x boy in this story, so if y'all don't like it, don't read that part. Please. Don't ruin it for others.**

* * *

It was no use – Cho had been racing around for hours ever since she woke up from fainting, and she hadn't found Ryo yet. She could feel a strong killing intent in the air, one that belonged to Mark, and she was very afraid. The last thing she'd seen him get so interested in one of her friends, that very friend had ended up broken – literally, in all her joints, with her head severed and her body in jumbled parts, in a dumpster.

Mark was a very disturbed boy, this was a fact that the blonde knew about him. After much reflection, though, she was sure she didn't know just how twisted Mark could actually be. If anything, she was sure that he had an alter-ego, or some sort of disease that caused multiple-personality disorders. Perhaps he suffered from split-personality, but that was something she'd never know. He would never let her into the deepest depths of his dark mind, and she knew she'd only scrapped the surface of how sadistic Mark could be.

The thing was, Mark was sweet, docile, gentle and ready to follow any order or scolding she handed out to him. On the other hand, there was another side to the sweet boy – a devil by the name of Evon. Evon was known by Cho's experience to be abusive, sadistic, and just plain evil. He went by one motto, and one motto only: "If I can't have what or who I love, I will make sure nobody has that."

What happened to her friend was a tragedy – she'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and been seeing the wrong person. Evon had seen her in a café hanging out with another guy, and he'd gotten jealous. So very jealous that when she got home, he lunged out and slashed her throat before proceeding to break her every bone and cut up her body.

Cho didn't want the same thing to happen to Ryo. It'd taken her just a while to realize she didn't want Ryo to end up the same way as her friend did, only because she knew that she still liked him, still held feelings for him, and there was no way she'd let Ryo suffer, even if she had a grudge towards Ayame for her father's death. Despite them being twins, Ryo and Ayame were two separate entities, and if any harm was to be brought upon Ryo because of herself, Cho was going to feel terribly guilty, and devastated.

I have to find Ryo! She pushed herself forward, ignoring the stings on her palms where she'd cut herself pushing past tree branches with prickles on them, trying to trash through the forest in her hunt for Ryo. Where are you…?

* * *

Crimson eyes slowly fluttered open, and the first thing Ryo smelt was the heavy tinge of bloodlust hanging in the air. It was tight, it was moist, and it choked him. He sat up heavily, sighing as he looked around the surroundings, trying to see if anybody had passed by while they were asleep. His sister was still dozing, as was the skylark.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he blinked up at the bright sky, and looked around again. It was quiet, but the tingling sense of an omen was still there, and Ryo didn't like it. Slowly, he got up and stretched out the kinks in his joints. His thoughts trained back to last night, where Evon had kissed him, and his fingers involuntarily lifted up and traced the outline of his lips.

What am I doing? He jerked his face and hand away from each other, grumbling about how idiotic and unappealing it was. Ruffling his hair and messing it up, he sighed and started to think about what to do. What was going to happen, really? Why did Evon kiss him suddenly? Just what exactly was Evon doing to him, and why was he letting Evon do this to him?

Questions continued to race through his head, and he didn't notice as he started to pace back and forth across the landing, chin in hand as he delved deeper into his thought process.

Do I like Evon? He asked himself the impossible. All of a sudden, his heartbeat seemed to beat louder, faster – drumming out an erratic rhythm in his ears, and he felt heat rush to his cheeks as he recounted the kiss. Lifting his hand, he covered his mouth, feeling queasy in the stomach, as if someone had released a torrent of butterflies in that area. He gulped in deep breaths, trying to keep calm as he felt sweat prick at his skin, feeling chills and cold all of a sudden under the hot sun. His mouth twitched up into a wry smile.

Well, this is definitely weird… I think I might need a psychiatrist.

"… Ryo."

He turned at the quiet voice that called him, and gave a small smile to his awakening sister. Maybe she'd woken up earlier than just a second ago, but he didn't mind. Getting up, he went over and sat next to her before reaching out and stroking her hair.

Even without words, she knew her brother was bothered, and the silence was something that was comfortable in-between them. She herself had something – specifically, a person – to think about, and she didn't want to talk about it when said person was just a few feet away from her, and who knows if he might just wake up and overhear what she was saying. Ayame leaned in more, resting her head on Ryo's shoulder and enjoying his warmth. It was nice just being side by side in a peaceful environment for once, not being chased like in the past or being hunted right now. Her eyes were closed, as if she was asleep, but her breathing told otherwise.

She licked her lips, wetting them as she turned her head up to the sky, unable to shake off the ominous feeling she'd been feeling since yesterday.

* * *

Azure eyes scanned the surroundings, watching the leaves as they danced with the wind's ministrations, hearing the chilling silence that hung in the air tensely, and their owner stood up from his crouched position, sweeping the dirt off his shoulders in big motions.

Evon moved on, headed towards the next area in the forest. Behind him lay a trail of quiet destruction; some trees were lying on the floor as if they had been chopped down, and the few weeds on the ground seemed as though they had been pulled out of the ground on purpose.

Running a hand through his messy hair, he sighed as he walked slowly, prowling as if he was a panther on the lookout for any weak prey. It wasn't the first time he'd seen that look – that hurt glimmer in the eyes of the person he was interested in – but why was he so affected by Ryo? Ever since Ryo had walked away from him, he'd been hurting in a way that wasn't physical, and the ginger didn't know or realize why.

Was there something wrong with his head? Was he sick? He head only ever been "interested" in people – and that included one of Cho's friends, who he had generously tore from limb to limb because he felt that she was being unfaithful and she belonged only to him. He'd seen her – long with the other guy at the café, laughing and being so comfortable with each other. She deserved what came to her.

However, for Ryo – he just couldn't bear the thought of not having Ryo existing in this life, for no reason at all. After all, he had just gotten to know the teenager, and not to mention they'd gotten off on a rocky start when they met in Namimori High, considering the one-on-one fight and all.

Just what was going on with him? He came to a stop, thinking about the pains the rung through his chest area at the thought of losing Ryo. He knew what he wanted – Ryo to be in his hands, in his arms, forever.

Even if I'm going to take him by force, I will do it… Even if he's limp, cold and dead in my arms, I will have him…

* * *

Ryo's body jerked, feeling chills run down his spine. He looked around for the cause, as he pulled his jacket over him and his sister more. She'd fallen back asleep again, her head resting on his shoulders, and he'd put his jacket over them to keep them warm in the cool forest. It was somewhere close to dawn, if he were to guess by the sky's colours – except for the fact that the sky seemed to be dark and gloomy no matter the time these days. He let out a yawn, casting his glance over to the skylark that was still asleep a distance away from them. Smiling to himself about the hopeless duo, he shook his head and began to fill his head with possible ways to get them together.

"Don't burst your head now," His sister murmured beside him.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" He questioned, nevertheless letting a smile slip onto his face.

"I was," She replied, and he looked down to see her eyes still closed as if she was asleep. "But your disgusting thoughts woke me up."

He laughed silently to himself, knowing that she could hear him inside her head – and true to that, she frowned at him.

"Now's not a good time for feelings to get in the way, Ryo," She sighed.

"I know, but sometimes feelings getting in the way might be a good thing?" He smiled sadly, thinking about the almost-zero possibility of Evon ever liking him. "If he likes me… Maybe the battle won't happen… Maybe people won't die."

A soft sigh was heard in the silence.

"Do you really think he'll stop just for feelings?" She asked him. "He seems like those kinds that would get the person he's interested in – in this case, you – be it whether dead or alive."

"There's always a chance for everything in life," He replied.

Their eyes met, and seriousness was in both their eyes.

"If you want to take the chance, you can…" She said softly while looking at him, white orbs boring into his. "But please don't risk your life while doing it… I don't know what I'll do without you…"

He let his head rest on top of hers, feeling waves of insecurity rolling through their bond, raising his hand to stroke his thumb over her shoulder to give her reassurance unknowingly.

"I'll do my best… So let's fight together."

* * *

"So… where are we going, exactly?" Tsuna asked Reborn.

"Away from this forest," was the reply.

"What?! Then what about Ayame and Ryo?" Tsuna shrieked, clutching the ends of his hair in horror.

"It's too dangerous for you guys," The baby hit man sighed. "This was on their request – to get the Guardians all out of the forest, preferably before Cho and Mark appears and starts a massacre of the Vongola family."

The Vongola boss gulped, looking back as the Guardians all trailed out of the forest, all looking sullen and a bit worried for the twins.

"I'm sure they'll be okay," Tsuna murmured, smiling awkwardly.

"This isn't fair!" Gokudera complained, flailing his arms in the air wildly. "Why does that grumpy ass get to stay behind and fight with them? I want to help them fight too!"

Reborn shot him a sharp look.

"That's because to the twins, Hibari is the strongest Guardian. You remember the fight you had with Ayame, no? You lost, didn't you, and Uri almost got killed."

Remembering that made the Storm Guardian look down, and bite his lip in thought.

"The thing we can do now for them," Reborn said as they continued their way to get out of the forest, "Is to just get out of the way and make sure all of us are safe, so that they don't have to fret about us while fighting and give it their all."

All the Guardians silently agreed in their head, and at the same time, they all looked up at the sky in prayer for the twins and the skylark that were fighting for the sake of everybody.

* * *

Cho had to be careful to not let her pants be heard as she raced through the forest, silently chanting in her head for time to be on her side. Swallowing big gulps and feeling her heartbeat beating erratically in her ears to the point that she felt dizzy and faint; the will to save someone she loved was overpowering the strength and endurance of her body.

Her body screamed at her to rest, but she knew there was no time for such nonsense, even if it meant pushing her body to the edge of breaking. She could hear soft voices nearby – or perhaps it was her imagination being over-active and she was hallucinating about voices in the woods.

As she got closer to a particular less-dense area, she heard the voices grow just a tiny bit louder in volume – those soft voices she'd been hallucinating – and she burst through the trees right into the clearing. She was panting hard, her eyes open wide, and she took in the cosy campfire scene before her.

Ryo! She cried joyfully in her mind as she took in the sight of the teenager lying against the tree with his crimson eyes boring straight at her. Running over to him as quickly and quietly as she could, she then noticed his sister beside him with her head on his shoulder, and the skylark just a few feet away.

Her eyes narrowed at the sibling's affection, but nevertheless she tried to reach for Ryo's arm to tug him to his feet.

"Hurry, you have to get out of here before Mark finds you!" She hissed, almost cringing at how loud her voice echoed around the silent surroundings.

"What?" Ryo just stared at her blankly, still perfectly seated at the roots of the tree. "What do you mean?"

"Mark – if he finds you, he'll kill you for sure!" She whispered, trying to pull him to his feet frantically. "Hurry! You have to run away from here!"

"You mean, you're not the one who wants to kill us?" Ayame piped up quietly, looking at Cho with open eyes.

"I would love to kill you," The blonde hissed again at Ayame, before turning her attention back to pulling Ryo. "Hurry up! You can't let him find you!"

"I'm not going without Ayame," Ryo argued, and reached for his sister, who just simply pointed at the still sleeping Guardian lying on the floor away from them.

He nodded, before taking his arm out of Cho's vice-grip and walked over to the male, contemplating whether to shake him or kick him awake – misty-grey eyes opened and gave a sharp glare, as if to say "don't you freaking dare", and Ryo moved away from the skylark.

"Glad to see you're awake," He gave a nod as Hibari sat up. "We need to get moving. According to Cho here, we're going to get killed by Evon if he finds us."

"It's true!" The blonde protested, flailing her hands in the air.

"Even if it's true, it might be too late," Ayame suddenly murmured, her gaze rested upon something up the hill.

All three heads turned to the girl, who simply pointed to a large dark aura that lingered around the many trees, and a very faint silhouette pretty far away.

"We'd better go, now."

"… Unless we wanna die," Ayame couldn't help but mutter before she grabbed Ryo's hand and they started to run.

Hibari and Cho were quick to follow – and so was the figure behind them.

"Wait for me, my pretties."

The raspy voice sent shivers down their backs as they raced down the hill, the distance between them and Mark not lessening one bit with the descent, and they could hear their hearts thudding in their chests so loud they were sure even Mark could hear it.

Ayame wanted to stop, to halt right in her tracks and overthrow the monster after them; like she did that time she overpowered the Mafia men as a little girl. After all, she was powerful – just that what Evon really was, could be even more powerful. So powerful that he might just kill them all. It wasn't exactly the appropriate time, but her thoughts turned to Ryo and Evon. Did Evon really like Ryo? Why was he doing this, then?

Suddenly, it seemed as though the forest had grown ten times larger – random tree roots were protruding from the ground, the trees were humongous, and the forest itself never seemed to have an end. The female wanted to stop as a thought invaded her. She turned her glare to her brother, who had thought of such a ridiculous-

Let me do it.

No! What are you saying, Ryo?

Just let me try; trust me. I can do this, baby sister.

What if he decides to kill you?

He won't.

What makes you so sure? Are you an idiot, you don't even know him! At least, not really know him.

Trust me!

With that said, the older twin came to a complete stop. This caused both Ayame and Cho to halt as well, the former pulling Hibari and almost causing him to fall. He glared at her, and then they all turned their gazes to the male chasing them.

His ginger hair was askew, a mess from running through the wind at a fast pace, his eyes, they burned bright, sparkling like the ocean-water color they were; sweat glistened on his temples, showing how much strain he'd put into chasing them, and he slouched just a tiny bit, almost like a predatory stance.

Quiet pants mixed in the air with loud, harsh ones – mainly coming from the ginger-haired male – and they just remained in that intense eye-lock, neither taking their eyes off the other.

Azure met crimson; Evon raised his brows at the determination in those red eyes.

"Leave them out of this," Ryo managed to choke out through the thick tension.

Evon's raised brows disappeared beneath his fringe before he relaxed his facial muscles into a neutral expression and gave a sharp, small nod.

"Go," Ryo turned to eye his three companions. "I'll manage things here."

"Ryo!" Cho stepped up to protest, but gets pulled back by Hibari, whose eyes are narrowed.

Without saying a word, Hibari tugged the two females away, eyes trained on Ayame, who looked very worried for her brother. He gritted his teeth, angry at the fact that he couldn't do anything to help in the gradually-evolving situation they were leaving behind.

Ayame kept quiet as Hibari continued to lead them downwards, whilst Cho thrashed and tried to get back to where the two males were. Remember our promise, a voice hisses at her, and she stilled, freezing in her tracks with her eyes wide.

A disturbing thought echoed through her mind while the pair in front of her just stared; he knows.

The sound of joints cracking filled the air as Ryo rolled his wrists, and Evon watched him. Around them, the wind is crazy – whipping their hair back and forth wildly – and the hems of their clothes are flapping about noisily.

Both of them stared at the other, moving neither a muscle nor an inch; tension filled the silent gaps between them. Ryo knew that Evon wanted him, though he couldn't speculate the reason why. Why was Evon so fixated on him?

"Why?"

It slips out without much effort on Ryo's part – it was something that he'd been meaning to ask the ginger ever since he'd been saved.

"You interested me," Evon replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

"So…?" Ryo continued, unable to make any heads or tails out of Evon's riddle-like structure of talking.

Evon's lips curled up into a smile at the male's confusion. With three large steps, he carried himself over lightly to stand right in front of the smaller male. Lifting his hands, he picks up a strand of hair that had fallen into Ryo's eyes, looking into those crimson depths to see if Ryo was uncomfortable with his physical touch. The small brunette doesn't move, and a tiny part of Evon sighs in relief.

"You're cute," He whispers to the shorter male, twisting the strand of hair between his fingers.

This was the first he'd been called cute, Ryo thought to himself – and by a guy, nonetheless.

"I don't understand you," He tells the ginger, huffing and crossing his arms. He knew that the taller was playing with his hair right now, but he doesn't make a move to stop it.

Crimson meets azure in a stubborn gaze, and Evon can hardly hold his chuckle back.

"Is this wrong, Ryo?"

The ginger's voice does something to the brunette – in a good way – sending shivers down his spine, and making him feel as though he was wanted. Ryo can hardly contain his grimace at the question, though he unfolded his arms and played with the hem of his shirt.

"… Aren't we enemies?" He asked at last when a pregnant pause had passed.

Evon doesn't nod; doesn't seem to acknowledge his silly question. Instead, the ginger just bends down at the waist so that he's at eye-level with Ryo.

"Is this a game for you, Evon?"

The whisper of his real name draws the ginger's attention away from those pale, pink lips and into the crimson depths of the boy once more. With a light chuckle, he doesn't move, and shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Do you think this is a game, Ryo?" He asks back to the brunette, who scowled at him in reply.

It lingered in the air – the question that is – and the two of them stare at each other.

"Are we going to fight?" Ryo countered, frowning at the male. "Or are we going to stand here and talk about… this?"

He gestured to the both of them awkwardly, but Evon knows what he's trying to say. Evon raises his brows again, and chuckled for the third time.

"Do you want to fight, Ryo?"

Sighing, the brunette shook his head.

"I don't know anymore, Evon," He told the other, placing one of his hands on his shoulder, rubbing it slightly. "There's… something… between us. I can't deny that."

So, he feels it, Evon mused to himself while nodding at Ryo's words.

"It doesn't feel wrong," Ryo continued when he senses that the other isn't going to spill anything, so he decided to get everything off his chest. "You and me - it doesn't feel wrong. Technically, it is wrong, I suppose, but to me; personally, I don't think it's wrong. There's… just something with you, and I can't stop myself. You confuse me. I can't think practically when I'm around you. Even now, you're still affecting me. Why are you- Why are you even doing this to me? What am I to you? What is this to you?"

By the end of his tirade, Ryo is panting slightly, almost breaking into hysteria. Evon remained calm, eyes impassive as he gets smacked mentally back and forth by the brunette's rant. He knew he affected him; but not to this extent.

However, what was going on in the ginger's head was far from calm. He stared at the brunette impassively, trying his hardest to hide the bubble of glee that was building in his stomach. There was no denying that he had a very strong attraction to Ryo – and now he was going to get what he wanted, as long as he played his cards right. His predictions had fallen off the mark, though, since he had thought that the brunette would take no interest in him. It didn't seem to be that way; Ryo seemed very interested, and flustered at the moment, and Evon was basking, relishing in this piece of knowledge.

"Calm down," he managed to choke out in reply at last. He really wanted to laugh. "If it helps, I can't think straight with you around as well. All I think about…"

He reached out and took the brunette's chin into one hand, and watches in fascination as the boy licks his dry lips with a pink tongue.

"… is you," he finished, and finds himself under the scrutiny of crimson eyes.

"Really?" Ryo said; voice barely above a whisper. Hope glimmered in his eyes, and Evon decides at that moment that he loves the emotion in those ruby orbs.

"Yes," He whispered right back, before he leaned down closer, and he could feel his eyelids fluttering on reflex as they tried to shut when he found Ryo's breath hitting his lips just right–

"RYO!"

The high-pitched scream ruined the moment; shattering it into a thousand million pieces as Ryo suddenly jerked back, shoving Evon away. A snarl is ripped from the ginger's throat, and he turns to glare at whoever had interrupted his almost-kiss.

Cho stood there, frozen in fear when azure eyes clashed fiercely with her emerald ones. His eyes bored into hers; the promise of torturing her in their depths. She holds her breath, before she remembers that she came back for Ryo, and her eyes dart over to where said male stands, with his hair ruffled and messed by the wind, and his eyes holding some incomprehensible emotion.

"This is not what we agreed on," Evon growled at her, and she forces her gaze back to him. "This is _not _part of our deal."

"I know, but this is wrong!" She screamed at him. "You can't have Ryo!"

"Even at the expanse of Ayame's life?" Evon replied, voice becoming a guttural growl.

He hears a sort of muffled squeak behind him, and he doesn't have to look at Ryo's face to know it was one of horror and shock at what he'd just said – and he just thought to himself that he had to explain things later if he was going to have any chance with the brunette – but other than that, the real issue was the strawberry-blonde standing in front of him.

They locked their gazes onto each other, and Evon could see that Cho was determined and ready – ready to take back what she _thought _was _hers_. He wanted to laugh, but he knew better. Behind him, he feels rather than hears the brunette moving, and he barely glances out of the corner of his eye.

Cho moves forward, drawing her sword to swing it down onto Evon, who simply dodges out of the way. He noticed how Ryo jumps back, right onto a branch of the tall tree behind them, perching on the thin stick as if he weighed nothing to get out of the way.

The three of them knew one thing – this would be a fight to the end.


	17. IMPORTANT NOTICE

Hi guys, I'm sorry to do this, but please try to understand me. Right now, my mind has gone completely blank for all of my stories and plots, etc.

I do not wish and refuse to write absolute crap just to finish such a nice story, and thus, I will be **discontinuing **this series. Please understand that it pains my heart to do this, because I wrote this with my own imagination and created my own characters for this.

**However,** if any of you wishes to take on this story to continue it, **or **take the plot (the birth of two cursed twins, girl x hibari, you can change evon's and ryo's relationship if you want) and write a story out of it, please feel free to, **BUT **please, please, please credit me, because this has been my hard work.

All in all, I am no longer going to write any more stories on this site, mainly because my muses aren't working with me anymore, and it has been too long since I left my secondary school to remember what my English teachers taught me. Once again, I'm sorry for doing this, but I have to... **because I believe in quality over quantity, and I am unable to write out a satisfying chapter anymore.**

**I'm sorry, and thank you all for your support all this while. **


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